CMA CGM performs first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering of cargo-handling containership in China
French container shipping firm CMA CGM’s 15,000 TEU containership Symi bunkered LNG at Yangshan port on Wednesday.
PHOTO: CMA CGM's LNG powered containership Symi being bunkered at Yangshan port. CMA CGM
The containership was refuelled by the new 20,000 cbm-capacity LNG bunker barge Haigang Weilai, which has beendeployed by Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) and is claimed to be the world's biggest LNG bunkering vessel.
The LNG stem was delivered with ship-to-ship (STS) transfer at the same time as the containership carried out cargo operations in the port.
This marks the first ship-to-ship LNG simultaneous operation (SIMOPS) bunkering operation in China, claims CMA CGM.
CMA CGM and SIPG signed a 10-year supply agreement in January, wherein SIPG will supply all CMA CGM’s vessels sailing from China to the US at with LNG while they handle cargo in Yangshan port.
The CMA CGM Group is currently operating 12 LNG-powered containerships, a fleet that is set to grow to 32 containerships of various sizes by the end of the year.
The company already has a fleet of 25 'e-methane ready' vessels and plans to deploy a total of 44 such vessels by 2024.
