French shipping company CMA CGM secures large quantities of biomethanol from waste recycling for its LNG fleet. Its partner is the specialist Suez.
The agreement stipulates that Suez will supply the French shipping company with up to 100,000 tons of biomethane per year by 2030. The two companies plan to jointly invest €100m in the construction of corresponding production facilities.
“This strategic partnership will enable us to accelerate the decarbonisation of the CMA CGM Group and ensure our path towards carbon neutrality by 2050,” says shipping company CEO Rodolphe Saadé. This project also strengthens the country’s energy independence.
According to DNV, LNG has returned as the preferred alternative fuel for newbuilding contracts in recent months, while methanol has become less important. Almost two-thirds of all orders (60%) are equipped with gas engines, according to the report. This is mainly due to the strong demand in the container segment.
CMA CGM relies entirely on LNG
LNG is currently the only affordable fuel available in sufficient quantities. Only in the coming years could other options come into consideration for shipowners. Maersk, the world’s No. 2 in container liner shipping and a pioneer in methanol ships, also opted for LNG in its most recent newbuilding orders.
CMA CGM, the No. 3 in container shipping, says it has so far invested US$18bn in a total of 131 ships, which will be ready for operation by 2028. Suez converts 5 million tons of waste into energy every year and produced 382 GWh of biomethane in 2023.
