CMA CGM Foundation supplies
fuel to Red Cross ambulances

To cover 50 percent of consumption in first half of 2024

The CMA CGM Foundation has supplied fuel to 285 of the ambulances of the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) since February 2024 as part of a partnership agreement between the two sides to provide 50 percent of the fuel consumption of LRC ambulances during the first half of the current year.

The partnership aims to support LRC transport of patients across the country and ensure the continuity of its emergency medical services, the Foundation said in a statement. The number of patients transported by LRC ambulances is expected to reach 75,000 during the first half of 2024.

“The Foundation of the CMA CGM Group, a global player in transport and logistics, is committed to contributing to the sustainability of this ‘emergency logistics’ operation, which enables the response to life-threatening emergencies of patients in Lebanon 24/7,” according to the statement.

Tanya Saadé Zeenny, President of the CMA CGM Foundation, said: “This partnership with the Lebanese Red Cross reflects our commitment to respond to the urgent needs in all circumstances. It testifies to our unwavering support to Lebanese families. Contributing to the functioning of the ambulances provides vital support at a time when patients need it most.”

Since 2019, the Foundation has mobilized the maritime and logistics expertise of the CMA CGM Group to support the LRC including providing free shipments of its personal protective equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic in addition to basic supplies following the Port Explosion.

Dr. Antoine Zoghbi, President of the LRC, said: “It is only through the generosity of partners like the CMA CGM Foundation that the Lebanese Red Cross continues to provide vital services to over half a million people annually in Lebanon. In these times of crisis, we rely more than ever on our partners to fulfill our humanitarian mission and demonstrate that with goodwill, it is possible to ensure quality services in our country.”

For over sixty years, the LRC ambulances have covered more than 80 percent of the country’s pre-hospital emergency care and transport for free.

Moreover, the Foundation has already established strategic partnerships with the International Committee of the Red Cross, French Red Cross, and American Red Cross, particularly for the transportation of humanitarian aids through the ‘Containers of Hope’ program.

France-based CMA CGM Group, which is chaired by the Lebanese French businessman Rodolphe Saadé, is the world’s third largest container shipping company. It operates over 257 shipping lines and a fleet of 620 vessels across more than 160 countries