CMA CGM takes delivery of LNG dual-fuel container ship

French container shipping company CMA CGM has taken delivery of the first in a series of 10 dual-fuel container ships being constructed by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea.

PHOTO: CMA CGM’s LNG-powered container ship CMA CGM Mermaid. CMA CGM

The 2,000-TEU container ship, CMA CGM Mermaid, can run on LNG or conventional marine fuels. It will embark on its maiden voyage from Busan in South Korea, to northern Europe.

The rest of the ships will be delivered between February 2024 and January 2025. The initial six vessels in the series will be deployed on the French carrier's short-sea routes in northern Europe, connecting ports in the Baltic and Scandinavian regions from the German hubs of Hamburg and Bremerhaven. Following that, four additional ships will be added to the intra-Mediterranean service.

Scheduled for delivery in January of the upcoming year, the final vessel will be equipped with hydrogen-powered fuel cells with an energy capacity of 1 megawatt (MW).

The delivery of the container ships will expand CMA CGM's fleet, which already includes over 30 dual-fuel vessels.

LNG has been gaining popularity among shipowners. The global LNG-fuelled fleet is currently made up of 493 vessels, with another 219 expected to join this year, classification society DNV data shows.

LNG can curb carbon dioxide emissions by about a quarter compared to conventional bunker fuels. But its methane emissions can be 36 times more potent as a greenhouse gas (GHG) compared to carbon dioxide over a century, according to a World Bank study.

By Tuhin Roy

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