CMA CGM and the Port of Dunkirk inaugurate a "cold ironing" system allowing ships to plug into onshore electricity
During a ceremony at the Port of Dunkirk, the APL SINGAPURA, a container ship belonging to CMA CGM, inaugurated the cold ironing facilities at the Port of Dunkirk’s Terminal des Flandres, the company said in its release.
By plugging into an onshore electricity supply, container ships calling at port can shut down their auxiliary engines while still getting the power they need, particularly in order to maintain controlled temperatures in refrigerated containers.
This innovative technology has significant environmental benefits, including:
Zero emissions of sulphur and nitrogen oxides and fine particles while ships are at berth;
Significantly reduced noise pollution.
The cold ironing system installed at the Terminal des Flandres will become fully operational during the first half of 2020. By undertaking this ambitious operation, the Port of Dunkirk and CMA CGM are confirming their determination to protect the environment.
ACTEMIUM, a consortium of two companies (Brest and Boulogne) was selected to carry out the works. These included the design and supply of a cold ironing system that fits into six 40-foot containers, converting the public electricity supply for use by ships at port. With capacity of 8 MW – enough to power nearly 1,000 homes – this system is one of the most powerful ever to be installed in Europe.
The operation was co-financed by the Urban Community of Dunkirk, the Hauts-de-France region (via the European Regional Development Fund), and the Port of Dunkirk. The CMA CGM Group covered the cost of the equipment needed to connect the vessel, in line with its efforts to support energy transition in the shipping industry.
About CMA CGM
Led by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group is a world leader in shipping and logistics. Its 506 vessels serve more than 420 ports on five continents around the world and carried nearly 21 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2018. With CEVA, a world leader in logistics services, CMA CGM handled more than 500,000 tons of airfreight and 1.9 million tons of inland freight in 2018. Present on every continent and in 160 countries through its network of 755 offices and 750 warehouses, the Group employs 110,000 people worldwide, of which 2,400 in Marseille where its head office is located.
About Dunkerque-Port:
The largest French port complex (Calais-Dunkerque); the ninth largest port on the Channel and North Sea Range and France's third-largest port, Dunkerque-Port has built a reputation in many sectors: it is the largest passenger port in Europe (Calais-Dunkerque hub); France's largest energy hub; the country's largest LNG terminal; the leading French port for containerised fruit and vegetable imports; the largest French port for ore and coal imports; France's largest rail port; the region's largest waterway port; and the third-ranking French port for grain traffic. Dunkerque-Port is also a sustainable port. It is the trading port of the new Hauts-de-France Region, the largest agricultural region of France, the leading region for the rail industry, and the leading region for the car industry.
