La Méridionale shipping company
Since it was created in 1931, the "Compagnie Méridionale de Navigation" has developed continuously to become La Méridionale, a shipping company renowned for the attention it pays to its customers, the quality of its on-board services, its ecological commitment and its ability to innovate.
Our BUISNESS
La Méridionale operates a daily freight and passenger service between Corsica and the continent, as such ensuring Territorial Continuity as part of its Public Service role.
In 2020, the shipping company opened a regular route between Marseille and Tanger-Med. It operates 4 crossings to Morocco per week and up to 6 during the summer season.
La Méridionale's key figures
La Méridionale comprises:
- 4 RoPax vessels sailing to Corsica and to Morocco from Marseille;
- 13 crossings per week between Marseille and Corsica and 6 crossings per week between Marseille and Morocco;
- 2 sales agencies in Ajaccio and Marseille;
- 2 port agencies renowned for their expertise: the Société d'Acconage Porto-Vecchiaise agency in Porto-Vecchio and Global Container Agency in Tangier;
- 500 travel agencies that form a Europewide distribution network;
- ± 600 people, on land and at sea, serving customers;
- 216 393 passengers and 91,821 cars in 2023;
- 62,355 HGVs, i.e. 686 km of freight carried in 2023.
A company that embraces human values
La Méridionale is part of the CMA CGM Group, a family business based in Marseille and a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions.
Customer satisfaction is the core of our commitments
Ensuring our passengers and our freight customers are satisfied is our ongoing concern. Our teams and crews do their utmost to ensure your crossing meets your expectations.
To constantly deliver the highest standards of services, La Méridionale analyses customer satisfaction continuously and makes any changes required to improve these services to address customer expectations. This customer-centric approach shows promising results:
*satisfaction survey carried out on 1,815 participants from 2023 1st July to 31st August on the Ajaccio line
Tangible initiatives for the environment
La Méridionale is a shipping company committed to reducing the environmental footprint from its activities as much as possible.
As the leading specialist in this field, La Méridionale is the driving force behind the following state-of-the-art innovations, which it has rolled out:
CENAQ - Electrical shore-to-ship power (SSP) of ships at berth.
Particle filter made from sodium bicarbonate.
It is actively involved in protecting cetaceans in the Mediterranean through the REPCET system and played a proactive role in its development.
The shipping company's efforts to protect the Mediterranean and the environment have been honoured. In 2013 and in 2018, La Méridionale was awarded the French shipowners association (Armateurs de France) Blue Charter Trophy and it also won the Sustainable Tourism Prize in 2019 (Palme du Tourisme Durable).
Dates that have marked La Méridionale
The history of our shipping company reflects our commitment and our values. La Méridionale is the oldest shipping company in Marseille; it celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2011 and, from the word 'go', has never stopped adapting and innovating.
Our story
- 1931: Two brothers, Henri and Félix Rastit wed shipowner Giannoni de Cassano's daughters in Balagne and found the COMPAGNIE MÉRIDIONALE DE NAVIGATION (CMN).
- 1937: The CMN ships petroleum products to Corsica, followed by general cargo on conventional ships.
- 1970: The service to Corsica now uses ro-ro ships (Roll-On – Roll-Off) with horizontal handling. This technique is still used today.
- 1976: The recognized quality of the CMN's services lead to it becoming involved in Territorial Continuity as part of a Public Service role between continental France and the Island of Beauty where it ensures the carriage of freight to Corsica.
New routes and a passenger service
- 1988 : At the request of the Corsican Transport Board (Office des Transports de la Corse), the Compagnie Méridionale de Navigation refurbishes its ro-ro ships to carry passengers and their vehicles.
- 1989 : Start of Marseille-Sardinia crossing, as an extension to the Propriano service. This route plays a role in developing the Gulf of Valinco and the Gulf of Sardinia by enhancing economic trade between the two islands.
- 1992 : La Méridionale joins the STEF Group, which becomes its only shareholder in 2009.
- 1996 : The Compagnie Méridionale de Navigation is the first French shipowner in the Mediterranean and second in France operating passenger ships to be granted double international ISM and ISO 9002 quality certification.
- 1998 : The CMN becomes La Méridionale.
Development and commitment to the environment
- 2009: DNV, the world’s leading classification society, grants La Méridionale ISO 14001: 2004 certification for its Environmental Management System (EMS).
- 2011: La Méridionale becomes the first shipping company to equip its entire fleet with the REPCET system for observing and tracking cetaceans
- 2016: La Méridionale is the first company in the Mediterranean to adopt CENAQ - its electrical shore-to-ship power (SSP) of ships at berth for its stop-overs in Marseille.
- 2017: La Méridionale was elected "service leader" by a panel of 20,000 consumers who participated in a survey led by French magazine "Capital".
- 2019: La Méridionale is the first shipowner in the world to try out and to install a particle filter on one of its ships, Piana.
- 2020: Launch of the Marseille-Tanger-Med route
- 2022: Inauguration of the particle filter deployed in all the Piana's engines. A world first for maritime transport and the environment.
- 2023 : On May 31, La Méridionale joins the CMA CGM Group in the specialized shipping division.
