In early December, four metro cars were loaded aboard the Champs-Elysées—the world’s largest container ship powered by liquefied natural gas—and departed France for Port Kelang, Malaysia.

From there, French shipper CMA CGM—handling the maritime portion of the journey for our Geodis subsidiary—is tasked with transshipment to Haiphong, a major port about 190 km from Hanoi. The first set of railcars will arrive in the Vietnamese capital less than two months after their departure from Dunkirk.

Between early December 2020 and late June 2021, Geodis will ship 40 railcars—a total of 10,000 cu m of cargo—to Vietnam by road, sea and rail, managing oversized pre-carriage to Dunkirk, port handling, delivery to the destination site and transport engineering. It’s a tall order for our employees, who must also comply with Covid-19 requirements and arrange for specially designed lifting equipment at all three ports.

"This is a meticulous operation that we have been preparing for in close partnership with our customer, the manufacturer Alstom, over several months,” says Johann Taccoen, Deputy Regional Director for Industrial Projects at Geodis. “Our aim is to ensure that the goods reach their destination safely and securely, all within a very tight timeframe. In particular, our people’s skills in achieving reliable transit times, controlling costs and maintaining safety standards are pivotal.”