CEVA launches new low-carbon ocean freight service

CEVA Logistics, a part of French shipping group CMA CGM, has started a new low-carbon ocean freight service between France and Ivory Coast, leveraging marine biofuel and anticipating an 84% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to conventional ocean freight.

According to CEVA, the new weekly Less Than Container Load (LCL) ocean freight service will connect Rouen, Marseille, Lyon, and Abidjan to directly address a dual challenge faced by supply chains – securing reliable, regular transport departures from France, while reducing the carbon footprint of shipments to Africa.

As disclosed, the decarbonized LCL service will be available for all types of cargo with weekly departures and a 24-day transit time between Rouen, France and Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

The new service will leverage marine biofuel, enabling an 84% CO2 emission reduction compared to conventional ocean freight between France and Ivory Coast, CEVA stated.

This ocean freight service is part of the CEVA FORPLANET suite launched in November 2024 to offer sustainable logistics solutions for reducing the environmental impact of supply chains with a range of alternative fuel options, including marine biofuel for ocean freight, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and biofuels or electric vehicles for road transport.

The company noted it had avoided over 26,000 tons of CO2 emissions by using more than 10 million liters of sustainable marine and aviation fuels in 2024.

Paul Bernard, Managing Director for West Africa and Overseas Territories, CEVA Logistics, said: “CEVA’s new low carbon ocean freight service from France to Ivory Coast supports our core mission to continuously innovate and diversify our sustainable logistics offerings. CEVA’s ambition is to expand our capabilities to sustainably support our customers’ end-to-end supply chains. We are proud to include this new LCL route to Abidjan in our portfolio of low carbon solutions for West Africa, a key region in global maritime trade and transport.”