CMA CGM raises the stakes

摘要

Those who thought that CMA CGM was resigned to being a third-placed container line operator, lagging increasingly far behind Maersk Line and MSC with their market-leading new building orderbooks, are having to think again. The French group is in exclusive talks with Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) and its leading shareholder, Lentor Investments, which is clear evidence that its ambitions are still very much intact. Some analysts have suggested that it has opted for a risky investment in a chronically loss-making company but the record of Saade family-controlled CMA CGM to date suggests that this is unlikely. The group has been a notably cautious investor. Previous takeovers, including that of German shortsea specialist OPDR last year, have been relatively modest, low-risk affairs aimed at improving the group's coverage of specific trades.