CMA CGM Group has acquired the intermodal logistics business of U.K.-based rail cargo company Freightliner, further expanding the ocean carrier’s presence in the country.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. As part of the deal, CMA CGM will purchase Freightliner’s U.K. rail and road operations, its 10 inland terminals, as well as the Freightliner brand.
The transaction is expected to close in early 2026, subject to the required regulatory approvals. Freightliner will continue to serve existing clients.
Related Stories
“It enables us to connect sea, rail and road more efficiently, delivering better solutions for our customers,” said Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group in a statement. “It is also a concrete step in expanding lower-carbon transport options, supporting both their needs and the decarbonization of global trade.”
CMA CGM has an intermodal operation in the U.K. through its subsidiary CCIS, having transported 200,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) by rail and road between January and July 2025.
But Freightliner can significantly expand these container handling and storage capabilities, with the company saying it serviced more than 770,000 containers every year. The intermodal logistics company says it runs more than 80 daily rail services and operates over 40 truck and rail routes from deep-sea ports including Felixstowe, Southampton and London Gateway. Additionally, the firm touts truck turnaround times of less than 30 minutes at its terminals.
Other Freightliner businesses, including bulk freight transportation division Heavy Haul, railway service provider Rotterdam Rail Feeding, and Freightliner’s Poland and Germany operations—will remain under existing ownership.
Freightliner was spun out of U.S.-based railroad company Genesee & Wyoming last April.
The intermodal business will become a standalone business within CMA CGM’s portfolio. It will be run independently via its existing teams, with opportunities to collaborate with other “arm’s length” companies at the carrier, according to Freightliner Group CEO Tim Shoveller.
“Heavy Haul will continue its growth journey in the bulk materials sector under a new brand with a clear focus on strengthening its position as a key freight operator,” Shoveller said. “Our customers will continue to receive the same high-quality leadership and operational teams, and we have robust plans in place to ensure a smooth transition of ownership.”
CMA CGM has been on an acquisition spree in recent years after acquiring third-party logistics (3PL) provider Ceva Logistics for $1.65 billion in early 2019, as it sought to scale beyond its ocean freight roots.
The French carrier has scaled operations at major ports in recent years. CMA CGM acquired the Fenix Marine Services terminal in the Port of Los Angeles in November 2021 in a $2.3 billion deal, and then scooped up two major terminals at the Port of New York & New Jersey at the end of 2022.
CMA CGM also completed a $5.2 billion acquisition of Bolloré Logistics in March 2024, marking the company’s largest deal to date.
Last year, 33.1 percent of CMA CGM’s revenue, or $18.4 billion, came from its logistics businesses, largely due to the Bolloré integration. That percentage has increased to 35 percent as of the second quarter of 2025.
CMA CGM may not be done with acquisitions, as the company has indicated it is closely eyeing the developments playing out regarding the Panama ports sale, suggesting it could possibly join the deal as buyer. The shipping firm operates 62 terminals worldwide.
The Freightliner acquisition plants the container shipping giant further into the U.K., where it already has nearly 7,200 employees across its maritime, logistics and inland services. The group’s shipping agency employing 286 staff and operates 28 services.
In 2024, CMA CGM’s container vessels carried 802,000 TEUs to and from the U.K., 3.4 percent of the 23.6 million TEUs the ocean carrier moved last year.
Ceva Logistics employs 6,768 people across 103 sites. The company hosts 7.7 million square feet of warehousing and consolidation capacity, as well as annual volumes of 33,800 metric tons in air freight and 69,400 TEUs in ocean freight.
Through Ceva, CMA CGM had attempted to expand its on-the-ground capabilities in the U.K. by putting in a bid for logistics services provider Wincanton in early 2024. But it got outbid by another competitor, GXO, who got the regulatory go-ahead this summer to scoop up the warehousing and transportation company.
