CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE, the world’s first container ship with a capacity of 23,000 TEU powered by liquefied natural gas, is on its maiden voyage.
The transition of the so-called 23,000 TEU super-large container ships from heavy fuel oil to liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a clear sign that the maritime transport sector is gradually moving towards a more sustainable path. These ships are the largest at sea, averaging 400 meters long and 61 wide, and can carry 23,000 twenty-foot containers.
CMA CGM Group’s new flagship CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE is the first of nine 23,000 TEU container ships that will make up the French-flagged LNG fleet.
CMA CGM, a global leader in freight transport and logistics, has named its new flagship after its founder, Jacques Saade, a visionary entrepreneur and successful businessman.
In November 2017, Rodolphe Saade, Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM Group, made the decision to equip this series of container ships with LNG engines, a first in the history of ultra-large container ship shipping. LNG is the most advanced solution today when it comes to maintaining air quality. This results in a 99% reduction in sulfur dioxide and fine particulate emissions, and an 85% reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions, well above current regulations. LNG emits 20% less CO2 than motor fuel. This technology is one of the first steps towards achieving CMA CGM Group’s ambitious goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.
CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE combines the know-how and experience of the best French, European and global industry leaders – from design to operation. Many specialist companies have played an important role in this landmark construction project, among them:
- BIO-UV Group, a French specialist in ultraviolet water disinfection systems, which provided the BIO-SEA system, ballast water treatment technology,
- CSSC, the shipyards of Shanghai, who have developed internationally recognized know-how and vast experience in building container ships,
- Cryostar, French expert in high-tech cryogenic equipment, supplying LNG pumps
- Bureau Veritas, the French inspection and certification company responsible for CMA CGM JAQUES SAADE certification,
- BLM, the French company that provided the winches
- GTT, French technology and engineering company, expert in membrane containment systems, selected for LNG tank design and related technical services,
- Schneider Electric, a French industrial group that developed marine electrical panels
- Sperry Marine, the UK company responsible for radio navigation and platform equipment
- Total and Port of Rotterdam providing LNG service
- Wartsila, a Finnish gas supplier dealing with systems and auxiliary systems
- WinGD, chief engine designer CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE.
The new ships will bear the names of iconic monuments and other famous places and institutions of the French capital (Champs Elysées, Palais Royal, Louvre, Rivoli, Montmartre, Concorde, Trocadero and Sorbonne). These 9 state-of-the-art vessels feature a distinctive LNG Powered logo that will be recognizable on all seas around the world. The commissioning of all container ships is planned until mid-2021. By 2022, the CMA CGM fleet is to be replenished with 20 more LNG container ships. Five of them will have a capacity of 15,000 TEU, while the rest will have a capacity of 1,400 TEU each.
Container giant CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE set off on its maiden voyage on September 23 on the French Asia Line (FAL 1) service on the Asia-Europe trade, CMA CGM Group’s most symbolic route connecting Asia and Northern Europe. During the voyage, which lasts 84 days, the ship calls at 13 ports. These are the ports of Busan in South Korea; Tianjin, Ningbo, Shanghai and Yantian, China; Singapore; Southampton, Dunkirk, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Algeciras in Europe; and Port Kelang in Malaysia. On October 12, the ship left Singapore with 20,723 TEU containers of cargo on board.
On the occasion of the commissioning of the CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE, Rodolphe Saade, Chairman and CEO, stated:
“CMA CGM Jacques Saadé is the epitome of our concern for the planet, our contribution to the fight against global warming. This vessel has been upgraded with the latest technology and is the result of more than seven years of research and development. Thanks to new technologies, the impact of transported goods on the environment is significantly reduced. We have taken a big step forward.”
CMA-CGM ranks fourth in the world behind Maersk Line, MSC and COSCO. The company is headquartered in Marseille (France) and operates over 200 sea routes between 420 ports in 150 different countries. CMA CGM has pioneered the introduction of LNG in the maritime industry.
M&M Ukraine (head office in Kiev, subdivision in Boryspil and Odessa) successfully performs international sea freight container transportation in all promising and demanded world directions. “M&M Ukraine” provides high-quality and safe cargo transportation from European countries to Ukraine, from Ukraine to Europe, to China and to the USA.
Created from www.cma-cgm.com and publicly available data.