CMA CGM Reflags Ship to Become Largest U.S.-Flagged Containership

CMA CGM is moving forward with its commitment to triple the size of its U.S.-flagged fleet as part of a $20 billion investment into its U.S. ship and logistics operations. Today, July 24, the company officially reflagged the first of four vessels it plans to move into the U.S. registry.

The CMA CGM Phoenix (115,000 dwt – 9,326 TEU) hoisted the U.S. flag in Charleston, South Carolina, in a ceremony to mark the completion of its transfer from Singapore to the U.S. registry. Built in 2013 by South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, the vessel had previously operated as the APL Phoenix. A Neo-Panamax containership measuring 1,079 feet (328 meters) in length, the company and the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) are reporting that it has become the largest container vessel ever to sail under the U.S. flag.

“Adding the CMA CGM Phoenix into the U.S.-flagged fleet is a powerful move toward reclaiming America’s maritime strength,” said Acting Administrator of the Maritime Administration 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 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. When the transfers are completed, the company will have increased by 50 percent the number of American seafarers it employs. In addition, it highlights that the CMA CGM Phoenix will serve as a training platform for future officers. Two cadets will be aboard each voyage from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point and the state maritime academies. 

Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM Group 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 committed the company to growing its U.S.-flagged fleet to 30 ships over the next four years. MARAD reports the CMA CGM Phoenix is the 11th U.S. flagged vessel in CMA CGM service. 

CMA CGM also owns APL (the former American President Lines), which it acquired in the 2016 acquisition of Neptune Orient Lines. APL is a niche brand today servicing the United States Government, providing its U.S. flag service, and its service to the Guam-Pacific trade. The company also plans to invest in growing its terminal operations and air freight base in the United States.

MARAD said the reflagging advances President Trump’s Executive Order of Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance. It reports, the current U.S.-flagged fleet consists of 189 vessels, including tankers, containerships, dry bulk carriers, vehicle carriers, and more. The order mirrors a bipartisan initiative in Congress that calls for the rebuilding of the American merchant marine.