CMA CGM

CMA CGM is a large container shipping company founded and headquartered in France. The company has faced accidents and incidents that injured and killed workers. The company has a responsibility to keep its workers safe and ensure they are adequately compensated when it fails. 

About CMA CGM

The merger that brought about CMA CGM occurred in 1996, but the companies that led to this combination were founded in 1855 and 1978.

Together these companies merged to become a world leader in container shipping with headquarters in Marseille, France, and Norfolk, Virginia, and with offices in 160 countries.

Out of 521 commercial ports in the world, CMA CGM services 420 of them. It employs 29,000 people and operates on all the seas in the world with a fleet of 536 ships.

In 2015 the company shipped 13 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) worth of cargo. That year, the company also saw $21 billion in revenue, used more than 200 shipping lines, and employed workers in more than 600 offices worldwide.

CMA CGM History

The CGM portion of CMA CGM dates back to a company called Compagnie Generale Maritime, founded in France in 1855.

• CGM was founded with backing from the French government and became state-owned but privately operated after World War II. This meant that the company could operate and compete in the world market and be competitive, but it also had to bow to specific political pressures.
• CMA was founded in 1978 by Jacque Saade with just one shipping line between Beirut and Marseille, and only one ship and four employees.
• CGM was fully privatized in 1996 and then sold to CMA to form the current company, CMA CGM.
• Initially, this new company was the 12th largest shipping company in the world, but it quickly grew to take over third place by expanding operations and purchasing new ships.
• These included the CMA CGM Marco Polo, which in 2012 was the largest container ship in the world.

CMA CGM Fleet and Operations

The CMA CGM fleet is extensive, with 536 vessels and a capacity of over two million TEUs for cargo. The fleet includes 14 ships that can haul more than 12,700 TEUs of cargo. The smallest ships in the fleet handle just 133 TEUs.

Some of the largest container ships in the world are part of the fleet, including the Bougainville, Marco Polo, Kerguelen, and Benjamin Franklin.

CMA CGM’s operations span the globe, and the company owns several subsidiaries to serve local regions better:

• Australian National Lines, Delmas, which provides RoRo services
• U.S. Lines for trans-Pacific shipping
• APL based in Singapore
• Terminal subsidiaries for port operations and intermodal subsidiaries, offering non-ship methods of transportation for cargo

Accidents and Safety at CMA CGM

Safety is a crucial element of the shipping industry. Workers for CMA CGM and similar companies face many dangers on the job:

• Workers in ports and terminals can be crushed by machinery or by dropped cargo.
• They face fires and electrical problems.
• They can easily trip, slip, and fall onto ship decks or into the water and get hurt or killed.
• On container ships, workers face the dangers of rough weather and waters.
• They may be victims of collisions and vessels running aground.
• They face the risks of an onboard fire or explosion.
• The large containers on these ships also pose a threat. They can shift and even topple out of position if not loaded and contained correctly.

CMA CGM has faced several dangerous situations that put its workers at risk.

2013 Collision

These include a collision between the Florida and another company’s bulk carrier in 2013. The crash happened off the coast of China and caused tons of fuel to be spilled into the water, not to mention extensive damage to each ship.

Investigations found that both ships were guilty of not communicating well and for trying to avoid a collision using an unapproved method. Luckily no one was hurt.

Lifeboat Drill Fatalities

In 2011 the company was not so lucky, and an accident resulted in two fatalities and one person seriously injured. The accident occurred aboard the Christophe Colomb as three workers engaged in a lifeboat drill.

As they hoisted the lifeboat, something went wrong, and it tipped downward and then fell 24 meters. One worker was thrown from the boat, and the other two were trapped under it. One died instantly, the other later, and the third man suffered severe injuries.

The accident could have been prevented, according to an investigation. A mechanical flaw in the lifeboat assembly caused it to fall.

CMA CGM is responsible for ensuring all equipment aboard ships is well-maintained and not faulty. In this incident, it failed its employees and owed them and their families compensation.

Compensation and Maritime Law

If you are a worker in the maritime industry, you have certain rights under maritime law. If your employer has been negligent in your injury or death, you or your family may be able to get compensation.

Even if no one is at fault, compensation is still possible, depending on the situation. Many of the workers in shipping, like those working for CMA CGM, are seamen, workers aboard seagoing vessels.

In the U.S., these workers are protected by the Jones Act and may sue employers for compensation in an accident in which negligence played some role.

Injured workers in maritime jobs must take specific steps to increase the odds of getting the money they need to cover medical bills and other expenses.

If you are hurt on the job, get medical attention immediately, and ensure an accident report is filled out. The report should be completed as soon as possible and with as much detail as possible.

The next important step is to consult a maritime lawyer and avoid signing any offers from your employer before doing so. Without this expert legal advice, you may resign your right to future or adequate compensation. Your family has similar rights in the event you die on the job and should also rely on a maritime lawyer for the best advice.