CMA CGM to sell small cruise ship division

   The CMA CGM Group, parent of Marseilles-based liner carrier CMA CGM, said Monday it has agreed to a deal with European private equity firm Bridgepoint for the sale of its small cruise ship brand, La Compagnie du Ponant.
   “The agreement will offer La Compagnie du Ponant the resources it needs to fulfill its ambitions, maintain its growth momentum and take its international expansion to a new level,” the companies said in a joint statement. “The parties have agreed to take until the end of August to finalize the transaction.”
   La Compagnie du Ponant has a fleet of four cruise ships, aimed primarily at high-end Arctic and Antarctic voyages. The company had a 2011 turnover of 80 million euros ($100.7 million).
   No financial terms of the proposed sale were disclosed.