French container line CMA CGM sees the ownership of cargo terminals at U.S. ports as the next step in its bid to extend its shipping business into greater inland logistics. “Port terminals are an essential piece of the supply-chain efficiency, being at the crossroads of sea and land operations,” said Christine Cabau Woehrel, CMA CGM Group’s executive vice president of operations and assets. CMA CGM earned $17.9 billion in net profits in 2021 and its earnings in the first three quarters of this year reached more than $20.4 billion. The purchases come as CMA CGM is spending billions to buy logistics operations and more recently launch an airfreight service. China’s Cosco Shipping Ports has expanded its terminal operations around the world in concert with expansion by state-owned Cosco Shipping Lines.

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