EU Clears CMA CGM and TotalEnergies LNG Bunkering Joint Venture

The European Commission has given its approval to a joint venture between shipping company CMA CGM and oil major TotalEnergies for liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering in Europe. The EU executive found that the deal raised no competition concerns, citing the 'negligible' scale of the expected activity and the 'limited' combined market shares of the two French groups.

The joint venture will be equally owned by CMA CGM and TotalEnergies Gaz & Electricité Holdings, a subsidiary of the oil major. It will offer LNG bunkering services in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp area, Europe's largest port complex, drawing on the Gate storage terminal in Rotterdam.

The move comes as several European gas players consolidate their positions. A new 20,000 cubic-meter bunkering vessel is expected to reinforce the offering starting in 2028. It will complement the Gas Agility, a TotalEnergies bunkering vessel that has operated in the region since 2020 with a capacity of 18,600 cubic meters.

TotalEnergies has also committed to supplying CMA CGM with up to 360,000 tonnes of LNG per year between 2028 and 2040. The scope approved by Brussels is limited to bunkering logistics and does not cover the two groups' broader maritime or energy activities.