CMA CGM Reflags Vessel, Creating the Largest U.S.-Flagged Containership

CMA CGM has officially put into service the largest container ship to ever fly the U.S. flag, a significant step in its $20 billion investment plan aimed at strengthening its fleet and the American maritime industry.

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CMA CGM container ship (Photo: Georgia Ports Authority / Phaata)

CMA CGM is moving forward on its commitment to triple the size of its U.S.-flagged fleet as part of a $20 billion investment in American shipping and logistics operations. Yesterday, July 24, the company officially reflagged the first of four vessels it plans to transfer to the U.S. registry.

The CMA CGM Phoenix (115,000 DWT – 9,326 TEU) raised the U.S. flag in Charleston, South Carolina, in a ceremony marking the completion of its transfer from the Singaporean to the U.S. registry. Built in 2013 by South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, the vessel previously operated as the APL Phoenix. As a Neo-Panamax generation containership measuring 1,079 feet (328 meters) in length, both the company and the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) report that it has become the largest container vessel to ever operate under the American flag.

"Adding the CMA CGM Phoenix into the U.S.-flagged fleet is a powerful move toward reclaiming America’s maritime strength," said Acting Maritime Administrator Sang Yi. "This is about more than ships; it’s also about jobs, trade, and economic strength and national security for Americans."

CMA CGM reports the vessel employs 42 American mariners, with 21 onboard at any given time, and is crewed by members of two U.S. maritime unions. The ship is being deployed on the company's service connecting the U.S. East Coast with Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka.

According to the company, the CMA CGM Phoenix will be followed by three other vessels, each with a capacity of 9,300 TEU. Once the transfers are complete, the company will increase the number of American mariners it employs by 50 percent. Additionally, the line highlighted that the CMA CGM Phoenix will serve as a training platform for future officers. Two cadets from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point and state maritime academies will be aboard for each voyage.

CMA CGM Group Chairman and CEO Rodolphe Saadé met with President Donald Trump in March, announcing the company's plans to expand its role in the U.S. shipping industry. He pledged that the company would grow its U.S.-flagged fleet to 30 vessels over the next four years. MARAD reports that the CMA CGM Phoenix is the 11th U.S.-flagged vessel in CMA CGM's service.

CMA CGM also owns APL (formerly American President Lines), which it acquired in the 2016 takeover of Neptune Orient Lines. Today, APL operates as a specialized brand serving the U.S. Government, providing U.S.-flagged services and operating in the Guam-Pacific trade lane. The company also has plans to invest in the development of its terminal operations and air cargo facilities in the United States.

MARAD stated that this reflagging helps advance President Trump's Executive Order on Restoring American Maritime Dominance. The agency reports that the current U.S.-flagged fleet consists of 189 vessels, including tankers, containerships, dry bulk carriers, vehicle carriers, and more. This order reflects a bipartisan initiative in Congress calling for the rebuilding of the U.S. merchant marine.

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