The CMA CGM Jacques Saade is to conduct its maiden voyage later this month, becoming the largest LNG-powered container ship in the world.
The 23,000 TEU vessel will join the French-Asia Line, CMA CGM Group’s route between Asia and Northern Europe. It is planned to be the first in a series of nine LNG-powered ships in the CMA CGM fleet.
The CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE will start its maiden voyage as of September 23rd on the French Asia Line (FAL), CMA CGM Group’s most emblematic line between Asia and Northern Europe. Its rotation will lead it to the ports of Pusan in South Korea; Tianjin, Ningbo, Shanghai and Yantian, China; Singapore; Southampton, Dunkirk, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Algeciras in Europe; and Port Kelang in Malaysia. This line provides a weekly service comprising 13 calls over the course of 84 days.
In November of 2017, Rodolphe Saadé, CMA CGM Group’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, decided to equip this series of container ships with LNG-powered engines – a first in the history of shipping for Ultra Large Container Vessels. The CMA CGM Group has thereby proven its commitment towards driving forward maritime transport’s energy transition.
Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, declared: “The CMA CGM Jacques Saadé embodies our commitment to the planet. This vessel has been enhanced with the latest technologies and is the result of 7 years of research and development. While guaranteeing the safety of our crew, it preserves air quality and will be part of our fight against global warming. It significantly improves the environmental footprint of carried goods. We have taken a big step forward. We need to go further to build transport that is even more respectful of the environment.”
Today, LNG is the most advanced solution when it comes to preserving air quality. It enables a 99% reduction in sulfur dioxide and fine particle emissions, and an 85% reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions, going well above and beyond existing regulation. LNG emits up to 20% less CO2 compared to fuel motorization. This technology is one of the first steps towards achieving CMA CGM Group’s ambitious 2050 objective of carbon neutrality.
Innovation-packed vessels, the result of seven years of research and development from CMA CGM experts
These nine vessels are packed with innovations, the result of a long cooperation between CMA CGM’s research and development experts and industrial partners. In addition to LNG motorization, the vessels offer advanced technologies:
- The cockpit boasts the latest embedded digital technologies to assist the commander and crew, in particular for port maneuvers
- They feature a redesigned straight bow with an integrated bulb, a redesigned rudder, and a redesigned propeller all of which substantially improve the vessels hydrodynamics, thereby reducing energy consumption.
These nine vessels bear a specific “LNG Powered” label that will be recognizable on all seas across the globe.
The CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE, along with its eight 23,000 TEU sister ships (twenty-foot equivalent unit) will be registered at the French International Register (FIR). They will bear the names of landmark Parisian monuments and other renowned venues and institutions from throughout the French capital (Champs Elysées, Palais Royal, Louvre, Rivoli, Montmartre, Concorde, Trocadéro, and Sorbonne). CMA CGM has chosen Total as part of a major industrial partnership to supply them with gas. Thereby making CMA CGM the initiator in structuring a genuine LNG field of excellence in maritime transport.