Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, announced today he would dedicate six liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered containerships to the U.S. market as part of the Group’s ongoing efforts to improve air quality and drive forward the energy transition of the shipping industry. Rodolphe Saadé made the announcement at the opening session of TPM, the premiere conference for the trans-Pacific and global container shipping and logistics community.
Six 15,000-TEU LNG-powered Vessels to Call the U.S.
The first of these new vessels will be delivered in October 2021, and all ships will be fully operational by the end of 2022. The six 15,000-TEU vessels will be deployed on CMA CGM’s Pearl River Express (PRX) line, which sails from China to the Port of Los Angeles. The CMA CGM Group is currently operating 12 LNG-powered containerships, a fleet that will grow to 32 containerships of various sizes by 2022. This technology is one of the first steps towards achieving CMA CGM Group’s ambitious 2050 objective of carbon neutrality.
Enhanced Service Offering to CMA CGM’s American Customers to Reduce Their Environmental Impact
As a customer-centric Group, CMA CGM is sharing its energy transition solutions for shipping and providing its customers with effective solutions with these six 15,000-TEU LNG-powered vessels. American customers will be able to choose to transport their goods using LNG, a new technology that helps to preserve air quality by eliminating almost all atmospheric pollutants.
Recently, the Group also introduced ACT with CMA CGM+, a set of services designed to allow customers to analyze, reduce and offset their environmental impact. CMA CGM will continue to incorporate the latest advanced technologies to serve the needs of its customers, in the U.S. and globally, while ensuring every aspect of its business is operating in the most sustainable way possible.
Alongside the development of new and agile solutions to answer its customers’ needs, the CMA CGM Group is committed to accompanying local communities through the creation of jobs, partnerships for the emergence of innovative technologies as well as philanthropic endeavors.
LNG, a Visionary Decision Aimed at Preserving Air Quality and Driving the Energy Transition
In November 2017, Rodolphe Saadé made the visionary decision to order nine 23,000-TEU vessels with an LNG power supply, a first in the history of the shipping industry for vessels of this size. LNG is currently the state-of-the-art industry solution for preserving air quality. It delivers a reduction of 99% in sulfur dioxide, 91% in particulate matter emissions and 92% in nitrogen oxide emissions, far surpassing the requirements of current regulations. LNG also provides an initial response to the challenge of tackling climate change. An LNG-powered vessel emits up to 20% less CO2 than fuel-powered systems.
