CMA CGM Group has taken delivery of the first in a series of LNG-fuelled feeder boxships.
The 2,100-teu CMA CGM Mermaid (built 2024) is the first of 10 ice-class vessels due for delivery in the coming months from Hyundai Mipo Dockyard.
It will embark on its maiden voyage from Busan in South Korea to northern Europe.
The first six vessels in the series will operate in the French carrier’s shortsea trades in northern Europe, serving Baltic and Scandinavian ports from the German hubs of Hamburg and Bremerhaven.
Four other ships will join the Intra-Mediterranean line between the end of September and the end of November.
The 10 vessels were ordered in late 2021 for KRW 745.6m ($560m).
That was deemed a high price but reflected the choice of LNG to power the ships using a 12-megawatt MAN engine.
The last vessel, which is slated for delivery in January next year, will be equipped with fuel cells powered by hydrogen with an energy capacity of 1 MW.
The delivery of the feeder ships will add to CMA CGM’s fleet of more than 30 dual-fuel vessels.
By 2028, it expects to operate nearly 120 ships powered by low-carbon energies.
The company was awarded a score of A- in the 2023 climate index of the Carbon Disclosure Project, a UK-based non-profit body that monitors companies’ environmental impact.
The ranking was driven by an acceleration of the group’s decarbonisation strategy, including reducing its greenhouse gas emissions for maritime activities by 1m tons between 2023 and 2022, as well as incentives for top management to achieve CMA CGM’s climate objectives.
