CMA CGM to dedicate six new LNG-powered vessels to U.S. services
Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, announced that he would dedicate six liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered containerships to the U.S. market as part of the Group’s ongoing efforts to improve air quality and drive forward the energy transition of the shipping industry. Rodolphe Saadé made the announcement at the opening session of TPM, the premiere conference for the trans-Pacific and global container shipping and logistics community, according to the company's release.
The first of these new vessels will be delivered in October 2021, and all ships will be fully operational by the end of 2022. The six 15,000-TEU vessels will be deployed on CMA CGM’s Pearl River Express (PRX) line, which sails from China to the Port of Los Angeles. The CMA CGM Group is currently operating 12 LNG-powered containerships, a fleet that will grow to 32 containerships of various sizes by 2022. This technology is one of the first steps towards achieving CMA CGM Group’s ambitious 2050 objective of carbon neutrality.
Recently, the Group also introduced ACT with CMA CGM+, a set of services designed to allow customers to analyze, reduce and offset their environmental impact. CMA CGM will continue to incorporate the latest advanced technologies to serve the needs of its customers, in the U.S. and globally, while ensuring every aspect of its business is operating in the most sustainable way possible.
Alongside the development of new and agile solutions to answer its customers’ needs, the CMA CGM Group is committed to accompanying local communities through the creation of jobs, partnerships for the emergence of innovative technologies as well as philanthropic endeavors.
In November 2017, Rodolphe Saadé made the visionary decision to order nine 23,000-TEU vessels with an LNG power supply, a first in the history of the shipping industry for vessels of this size. LNG is currently the state-of-the-art industry solution for preserving air quality. It delivers a reduction of 99% in sulfur dioxide, 91% in particulate matter emissions and 92% in nitrogen oxide emissions, far surpassing the requirements of current regulations. LNG also provides an initial response to the challenge of tackling climate change. An LNG-powered vessel emits up to 20% less CO2 than fuel-powered systems.
At the opening session of TPM 2021, Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Office of the CMA CGM Group, reiterated the full commitment of the CMA CGM Group to its customers and to local communities in the U.S. through: • The implementation of agile solutions to support customers, their activities and their development in these exceptional times; • The importance of listening to customers’ needs and expectations and offering them a good and reliable service; • The creation of 400 jobs in Virginia where the Group has its U.S. head office. Currently, CMA CGM employs 12,000 people in the United States; and • The development of ZEBOX U.S.A., an innovation hub, to support startups in the development of disruptive solutions in transportation, logistics, mobilities and industry 4.0
About CMA CGM
Led by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group is a world leader in shipping and logistics.
Its 538 vessels serve more than 420 ports around the world, on five continents. In 2019, they transported nearly 22 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) containers. With CEVA Logistics, a world leader in logistics services, CMA CGM handles more than 500,000 tons of airfreight and 1.9 million tons of inland freight every year.
CMA CGM is constantly innovating to offer customers new maritime, inland and logistics solutions.
Present on every continent and in 160 countries through its network of 755 offices and 750 warehouses, the Group employs more than 110,000 people worldwide, of which 2,400 in Marseille where its head office is located.
