The French liner shipping company CMA CGM, the No. 3 in the global ranking, has ordered further large container ships in Korea.
The South Korean shipbuilding group HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) has announced a major order for 12 ships with LNG dual-fuel engines. The capacity of the units is stated as 15,500 TEU. The total value is, therefore, US$2.7bn.
CMA CGM, managed by Rodolphe Saadé, is one of the liner shipping companies with the largest newbuilding program. With this order, the order book exceeds the 1 million TEU mark (94 ships). The company already has a total of 643 ships with a total capacity of 3.75 million TEU in service. However, only four orders were added last year; this would be the first order ever for 2024.
Newbuilds for CMA CGM to be built by 2028
The series is to be built in equal parts at Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Samho and delivered by June 2028.
The global fleet has already grown enormously, thanks to numerous orders from major players in the industry. According to Clarksons, 2.3 million TEU (368 ships) were added last year, with total capacity now exceeding 30 million TEU. A further 271 ships with 1.7 million TEU followed in the course of this year. The ships ordered during the pandemic are due to enter service in the second half of 2024 and 2025, with the focus on the Megamax class (+18,000 TEU).
