Electric barge will help get Nike from factory to port

CMA CGM has launched what it said is the first fully electric container barge in Vietnam, connecting Nike’s manufacturing sites with the country’s Cai Mep container port.

The initiative, Green River Transportation, is a joint venture between Marseilles, France-based CMA CGM and port operator Gemadept. The new entity will manage river transport services in the Mekong Delta.

In a release, CMA CGM said the electric barge was jointly designed by its CMA Ships and research and development teams. Power will come from a dedicated charging station connected to a new solar farm located on the Gemalink terminal at Cai Mep, jointly owned by CMA CGM and Gemadept. With output of up to 1 GWh of green electricity per year, the zero-emissions solution will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 778 tons per year on the 112-mile route between Binh Duong province and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, in southern Vietnam. 

Based in Beaverton, Oregon, Nike (NYSE: NKE) is a longtime customer of CMA CGM.

The carrier said the low-carbon logistics model is designed to be replicated with other customers and in additional countries, especially where inland waterways are a key link in supply chains.

The electric barge is scheduled to enter service in early 2026 and aligns with CMA CGM’s global strategy to reach net zero carbon by 2050, through a combination of low-carbon technologies and alternative fuels.

Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

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