News / CMA CGM first container line to sign up with Freightos online booking

Copyright: Port of LA

CMA CGM has become the first container line to be listed on booking platform Freightos, allowing direct digital sales, booking and shipment management.

As part of a pilot phase, it will be able to offer booking, guaranteed pricing and secured capacity via the IT platform, initially for China-US tradelanes. Additional lanes will come on stream shortly.

Mathieu Friedberg, senior vice president – commercial agencies network at CMA CGM, said: “This partnership raises the bar for ourselves, and the industry, with this important step into the digital era.”

The line claimed the move “reinforces its position as a digital leader within the industry and takes yet another step towards its customer-centric strategy, offering importers and exporters of all sizes direct access to instant pricing, routing, and concrete sailing information in seconds, as well as guaranteed capacity”.

The move will allow smaller shippers direct access to the booking process.

Freight booking platforms have become increasingly prevalent, but forwarders remain wary of the transactional nature which can cut out the middleman – and also the added value forwarders provide.

CMA CGM did not comment on the move in relation to its recent acquisition of shares in Ceva Logistics and the sale of its own logistics arm to Ceva.