The transaction, announced on Wednesday, will see CMA CGM take over FedEx Supply Chain, the third-party logistics subsidiary of FedEx Corp. The deal is expected to close in 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals.
For CMA CGM, the acquisition is another step in its move beyond container shipping and into end-to-end logistics. The group said the purchase would nearly triple the size of CEVA Logistics’ North American contract logistics operations.
FedEx Supply Chain brings nearly 10,000 employees and a large warehousing and fulfilment network. Once integrated, the combined CEVA operation in North America would have around 150 warehouses, while CEVA’s broader presence in the region would rise to more than 240 locations and 20,000 employees.
CMA CGM said the deal reinforces its long-term investment in the US supply chain and supports its strategy of offering integrated logistics services covering sea, land, air and contract logistics.
Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and chief executive of CMA CGM Group, described the acquisition and planned partnership with FedEx as “a major step” in the development of CEVA Logistics and the group’s logistics activities in North America.
“We are strengthening our ability to provide customers with integrated supply chain solutions,” he said.
The transaction also comes with a wider commercial partnership between CMA CGM and FedEx. The two companies expect to enter into multi-year agreements covering ocean freight and air cargo. Under the planned ocean freight arrangement, CMA CGM would become a preferred ocean carrier for FedEx on a non-exclusive basis.
The companies also plan to work together on selected air cargo capacity solutions, with the aim of improving aircraft utilisation and providing more flexible long-haul capacity. The air and ocean freight agreements are expected to begin in phases between now and 2028.
According to Reuters, the commercial partnerships could generate nearly $3.5 billion in additional revenue for CMA CGM over 10 years, citing a source close to the matter.
For FedEx, the sale fits into a broader effort to streamline the business and focus on its core delivery operations. FedEx president and chief executive Raj Subramaniam said the announcement would allow the company to sharpen its focus on higher-value sectors including healthcare, automotive, aerospace and data centres.
The deal follows FedEx’s recent separation of FedEx Freight, its less-than-truckload business, as the company continues to reshape its portfolio.
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For CMA CGM, the acquisition continues a strategy that has already seen the group build CEVA into a much larger global logistics platform. Since taking control of CEVA Logistics in 2019, CMA CGM has added businesses including Ingram Micro’s Commerce & Lifecycle Services activities, GEFCO and Bolloré Logistics.
That expansion reflects a wider trend among major ocean carriers, which have used profits from recent years of volatile container markets to expand into logistics, air cargo, terminals and inland supply chain services. The aim is to reduce reliance on cyclical ocean freight earnings and capture a larger share of customers’ supply chain spending.
The FedEx Supply Chain deal is therefore not only a warehousing acquisition. It gives CMA CGM greater scale in the US contract logistics market, strengthens CEVA’s North American network, and deepens the group’s commercial ties with one of the world’s largest transport and delivery companies.
