First LNG Powered Containership Delivered to French Shipping Group

EUROPE – NORTH AFRICA – French headquartered shipping group CMA CGM chose Christmas Eve to announce the first container ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) had arrived as part of its fleet some days earlier. The Containerships Nord is, as its name suggests, to enter service as one of its Containerships subsidiary vessels and is the first of four such craft which have been ordered.

The Containerships Nord LNG powered sister ships are scheduled to be delivered in the first half of 2019 and all are 1,400 TEU vessels. This first ship will first join CMA CGM’s New Dunkrus service between Morocco and Northern Europe, before making its first LNG bunkering in Rotterdam. It will then join CMA CGM’s French-Baltic Line before entering service on Containerships’ Baltic loop upon delivery of the next two vessels.

The French group says it is determined to take a lead in energy transition to ensure a cleaner environment for the logistics industry, and indeed Containerships also has a fleet of LNG-powered trucks, thereby enabling CMA CGM to offer LNG throughout the transport cycle. The use of LNG represents a real technological breakthrough that allows for 99% less sulphur and fine particles emissions, 85% less nitrogen oxide emissions and 25% less CO2 emissions compared to heavy fuel oil.

In November 2017 the group announced that its nine future 22,000-TEU container ships will all be powered using the gas.

Photo: Containerships board members Kimmo Nordström, Mimmi Nordström and Harri Nordström at the naming ceremony for the Containerships Finn and Containerships Balt under construction at the Wenchong Shipyard, China in October. Behind them is the first ship being delivered this month the Containerships Nord.