French ship operator CMA-CGM has ordered a total of seven new container vessels, three of 7900 TEU capacity and four of 7,300 TEU capacity, all intended to be fuelled by biogas, to serve the French West Indies.
The vessels will apply technology that aims to protect air quality and cut CO2 emissions by 67%. The deal was announced by CMA CGM Group chairman and CEO Rodolphe Saadé during a trip to Martinique and Guadeloupe. With delivery scheduled from 2024, the seven new container ships will increase services to the two islands, while also maintaining the same service standards, reliability and regularity. They will replace smaller ships dedicated to routes between the French West Indies, France and Europe
In order to cope with these larger capacity vessels, the CMA CGM Group will help to modernise and increase the capacity of ports in Guadeloupe and Martinique
The CMA CGM Group is committed to the energy transition and has set itself the target of becoming Net Zero Carbon by 2050. The seven new ships rolled out in the French West Indies in two years will be powered by biogas, a technology that helps to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect air quality by eliminating almost all air pollutants. Biogas produced from biomass reduces CO2 emissions by 67% compared with conventional fuel and cuts SOx emissions by 99%, fine particle emissions by 91% and NOx emissions by 92%. It therefore makes a significant contribution to improving air quality. The dual fuel gas engine technology developed by CMA CGM since 2017 is able to use biogas as well as synthetic methane. CMA CGM already has 31 e-methane ready container ships in its fleet fitted with dual-fuel engines. It will have 77 of these vessels by 2026.
