Worldwide shipping and logistics company CMA CGM Group on Tuesday (22 September) welcomed the CMA CGM Jacques Saadé- the first 23,000 TEU container vessel in the world to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) to its fleet.

CMA CGM Group said this addition makes it the largest LNG-powered container ship in the world. 

The joining of the fleet of the CMA CGM Jacques Saadé was marked by a first-of-its-kind digital naming ceremony that saw the shipyard’s representatives in Shanghai and CMA CGM Group’s management in Marseille shared a landmark moment in their common history, it said.

Blessed by father Francis Fang, the vessel was then officially named by her Godmother, Tanya Saadé Zeenny, who wished the ship, the captain and its crew the best of luck on their future voyages with the traditional words “May God bless this ship and all who will sail on her”.

The company said that 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 added it has since proven its commitment towards driving forward maritime transport’s energy transition.

Using LNG is one of the first steps towards achieving CMA CGM Group’s ambitious 2050 objective of carbon neutrality, it added. 

CMA CGM notes that its nine LNG powered vessels are packed with innovations, the result of a long cooperation between its research and development experts and industrial partners. In addition to LNG motorization, the vessels offer advanced technologies including:

• 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 vessel’s hydrodynamics, thereby reducing energy consumption.

These 9 vessels bear a specific “LNG Powered” label that will be recognizable on all seas across the globe, it added.

The company said the development and construction of Jacques Saadé benefited from the know-how and expertise of the best French, European, and global industry leaders including:

• BIO-UV Group, a French specialist in ultraviolet-based water disinfection systems who provided the BIO-SEA system, a ballast water treatment technology,
• CSSC, Shanghai’s shipyards who developed a globally recognized know-how and expertise in container ship construction,
• Cryostar, a French expert in high technology cryogenic equipment who provided the LNG pumps,
• Bureau Veritas, a French classification company in charge of guaranteeing the certification of the Jacques Saadé and its sister ships,
• BLM, a French company who provided winches and windlass,
• GTT, a French technology and engineering company expert in membrane containment systems, selected for the design of LNG tanks and related technical services,
• Schneider Electric, a French industrial group who designed the vessel’s electrical switchboards,
• Sperry Marine, company based in the United Kingdom and responsible for radio navigation and platform equipment,
• Total and Rotterdam port who provided LNG refueling services,
• Wartsila, a Finnish gas provider who handled system and auxiliary systems,
• WinGD, the Jacques Saadé’s primary engine designer.

Photo credit: CMA CGM
Published: 23 September, 2020