Feature, Freight News, Sea


Phoenix leads drive to resurrect US-flagged fleet

[ July 25, 2025   //   ]

CMA CGM Group – owner of American President Lines (APL) – officially reflagged its CMA CGM Phoenix in Charleston, South Carolina on 24 July as a US vessel.

It makes the 9,300TEU Phoenix the largest container vessel ever to sail under the U.S. flag.

The Phoenix employs 42 American mariners (21 onboard at any given time) through two US maritime unions and will serve as a training platform for future officers of the nation’s maritime force, hosting two cadets per voyage from the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point and state maritime academies.

The vessel will sail on the CMA CGM Indamex Service between the US East Coast and Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka via the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

CMA CGM America chief executive Adeline Franger Chouraqui, said: “This milestone marks a new chapter in our long-term commitment to the United States. By expanding our US-flagged fleet, we will create new jobs, support American exports, and help strengthen the nation’s maritime capabilities for years to come.”

The Phoenix will be the first of four new US-flagged vessels in 2025, fulfilling the first 20% of its commitment to triple the size of its Stars and Stripes fleet to 30 ships over the next four years, in line with the US administration’s ambition to revitalize the nation’s maritime capabilities and increase the number of US-flagged commercial vessels.

The four vessels will each have a capacity of 9,300 TEUs and CMA CGM will increase the number of US seafarers it employs by 50%.

Tags: