CMA CGM EYES TRANSATLANTIC SERVICE

CMA CGM EYES TRANSATLANTIC SERVICE    Jacques Saade, chairman of CMA CGM, the Marseilles-based French carrier, said today in New York that his company was considering starting a transatlantic service by the end of 2000.
   “We would use our own vessels, of 3,000-TEU size. We are looking for a partner, and have been for some time,” he said.
   CMA CGM operates a fleet of 80 ships with a slot capacity of 127,000 TEUs. It is the largest French carrier and the 12th-largest worldwide. The company’s highest volume trades are between the Mediterranean and the Far East and Europe and the Far East.
   Asked if CMA-CGM made money on its routings, Saade said that “the balance sheet has been what the budget says,” and predicted a profit close to the 300 million francs when fiscal reports are issued shortly.