CMA CGM, Nike and Gemadept have launched a fully electric barge in Vietnam intended to cut emissions from inland transport and support Nike’s supply‑chain decarbonisation programme.
The initiative, reported on 29 October 2026, brings together a major container carrier, a global retailer and a Vietnamese terminal operator in a pilot aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of cargo movements away from the quayside.
The 100 per cent electric barge links Nike’s inland drop‑off location in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly part of Binh Duong province, with Gemalink, the deep‑sea terminal operated by Gemadept. The partners describe the service as a direct, zero‑direct‑emission alternative for the inland leg of shipments.
The route and technology
The operation centres on a scheduled connection between the inland facility used by Nike and Gemalink. The partners state the craft is fully electric and that power will be supplied from renewable generation for the service’s operational needs.
No vessel specifications, battery details or timetable were disclosed in the report. The announcement focuses on the demonstrable shift from conventional diesel inland transport to an electrically powered barge on this particular corridor.
Partnership model and objectives
The collaboration pairs CMA CGM’s shipping expertise with Gemadept’s terminal operations and Nike’s logistics requirements. Each partner is presented as having a role in delivering a single, integrated solution for the inland leg of container movements.
Nike’s stated objective for the project is to advance supply‑chain decarbonisation by replacing higher‑emission inland transport modes with a zero‑direct‑emission maritime alternative. CMA CGM and Gemadept are positioned as service and infrastructure providers for that solution.
The move reflects a growing interest among carriers, cargo owners and terminal operators in shifting short inland legs of container journeys onto lower‑emission waterborne solutions where geography allows. The partners say the barge will contribute to reducing the carbon intensity of the overall logistics chain for affected shipments.
The report does not quantify expected emission savings, nor does it specify whether the service will be commercially open or limited to the partners’ own cargo flows. Details on regulatory clearance, vessel certification and long‑term plans were not included in the published summary.
Industry observers will watch whether the initiative is scaled beyond the initial connection and whether similar electric barges are adopted on comparable links elsewhere in the region. The announcement serves as an example of private sector collaboration to trial low‑carbon alternatives in an operational logistics context.
reports’s account provides the partners’ outline of the project; further technical and commercial particulars have not been disclosed in that report. For now the scheme stands as a named pilot linking an inland Nike facility in the Ho Chi Minh City area with Gemalink, using a battery‑powered craft supplied with renewable energy, according to the partners and the report dated 29 October 2026.