Delmas (shipping company)

{{Infobox company

| name = DELMAS

| logo = LogoDelmas.jpg

| defunct = {{End date|2016|03|01}}

| fate = Acquired by the CMA CGM Group

| area_served = Worldwide

| successor = CMA CGM Group

| foundation = 1867 in La Rochelle, France

| location = Le Havre, France

| key_people =

| industry = Transport

| products = Shipping
Cargo
Freight distribution

| homepage = http://www.delmas.com/

}}

Delmas Shipping,was a containerized-freight and ro-ro shipping company based in Le Havre, France, mainly carrying trade between western Europe and Africa. It was the largest cargo carrier between European and African ports, and Europe's oldest extant shipping line.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}} Delmas was bought by CMA CGM Group from the Bolloré Group for €470 million in 2005, and fully integrated into its parent in March 2016.

The company operated a fleet of 49 vessels with a collective capacity of {{TEU|63,000|first=yes}},{{cite web| title =Delmas | publisher =CMA CGm Group, Marseille | year =2006 | url =http://www.cma-cgm.com/AboutUs/Subsidiaries/ContainerShipping/Delmas.aspx | accessdate =2008-02-15}} on 15 routes between Europe, Africa and the Indian Ocean.

File:Container Ship.jpg

History

Delmas Freres was founded by Julien & Frank Delmas in 1867 to transport coal and raw materials from the French port of La Rochelle. In 1910 the company was renamed Delmas Vieljeux after its president, joint owner and Mayor of La Rochelle, Leonce Vieljeux.

The first Delmas shipyard opened in 1922 and international shipping began in 1925 with imports of mahogany from the African state of Gabon for use in boxes for storage of butter and cheese.{{cite web| title =Delmas Shipping Company (France) | publisher =Flags of the World |date=July 2004 | url =http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/flags/fr~hfdel.html | accessdate =2008-02-15}} After World War II the company relocated to Le Havre and began to specialise in Africa-European trade. It was acquired by the Bolloré Group in a hostile takeover in 1996, but a series of restructures led to a loss of market share and the sacking of 140 staff.{{cite web|title=CMA CGM Delmas bid gets Standard & Poor's approval |publisher=Ministry of Investment, Industry, Technology and Information, Government of Malta |date=September 2005 |url=http://www.miti.gov.mt/site/page.aspx?pageid=1061 |accessdate=2008-02-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051228134809/http://miti.gov.mt/site/page.aspx?pageid=1061 |archivedate=December 28, 2005 }}

In September 2005 the company was sold to CMA CGM for €470 million. The sale was supported by the Delmas workforce after CMA CGM agreed to a package including no forced redundancies and the retention of the Le Havre offices and Delmas branding.{{cite web| title =CMA-CGM/Delmas Deal to Be Closed | publisher =Maritime Digital Archive |date=September 2005 | url=http://www.ibiblio.org/maritime/Scheepvaartnieuws/Pdf/scheepvaartnieuws/2005/september/202-06-09-2005a.pdf | accessdate =2008-02-15}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} However, the CMA CGM group announced in March 2016 that it will integrate the Delmas brand with its own in order to streamline service and unify all of its maritime activities to and from Africa under a single brand.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cma-cgm.com/the-group/markets/africa|title = CMA CGM Group designs your supply chain worldwide}}

In February 2010, Delmas was put in the spotlight for its involvement in the shipment of illegally logged rainforest wood from Madagascar.{{cite web| title=French company prepares to ship illegally logged rainforest wood from Madagascar | publisher=wildmadagascar.org |date=February 2010 | url=http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0225-madagascar_delmas.html | accessdate = 2010-02-26}}

Vessels

MV Cristina A

References

External links

[http://www.delmas.com/ Delmas official website]

Category:Shipping companies of France

Category:Container shipping companies

Category:French companies established in 1867