The planned delivery of ten newbuildings will increase CMA CGM’s capacity by more than 200,000 TEU. The ships will operate under French law.
The liner shipping company expects to take delivery of ten container ships, each with a capacity of 24,212 TEU. The company has already announced that the newbuilds will sail under the French flag in future – a commitment to the country’s maritime industry.
The ships are designed to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and will not only be among the largest, but also the most energy-efficient of their kind. The first ship, the “CMA CGM Notre Dame”, is scheduled for delivery in 2026. (Pictured here: The “CMA CGM Seine” from a different series, delivered in April, with a capacity of 23,876 TEU).
“CMA CGM has decided to register ten new ships of 24,000 TEU each, among the largest in the world, under the French flag from next year,” says CEO Rodolphe Saadé. “Powered by liquefied natural gas, they underline our confidence in the French shipping sector and its employees. We have recruited 135 French seafarers and further expanded our partnership with the French maritime school (ENSM).”
In future, the ships will serve the French ports of Le Havre and Dunkerque on the Asia-Northern Europe route (French-Asia Line, FAL 1), as the group announced. The background is also to strengthen the presence in France – “especially at a time when the sea is playing an increasingly strategic role in global economic and geopolitics,” said Saadé. The ships will operate in accordance with French law and should therefore guarantee both safety and compliance with working conditions.
Container ships score with high efficiency
The LNG dual-fuel ships are compatible with biomethane and e-methane, two alternative fuels that are designed to reduce CO₂ emissions by 67% and 85% respectively compared to conventional marine diesel, while also significantly reducing air pollutants such as sulphur oxides, particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. Thanks to their large capacity, the CO₂ intensity per transported unit is significantly improved.
Each ship in the series will bear the name of a well-known French monument or landmark: “CMA CGM Notre Dame”, “Panthéon”, “Orsay”, “Luxembourg”, “Pont Neuf”, “Versailles”, “Austerlitz”, “Nation”, “Cluny” and “Longchamp”.
Apart from administrative reasons, the flagging of the ships in the French International Register (RIF) is also intended to create “real operational, personnel and economic links”. CMA CGM will recruit 135 French seafarers trained at the ENSM, while strengthening CMA CGM’s contribution to the attractiveness of the blue economy sector, generating economic benefits and indirect jobs.
The French shipping company is currently in third place in the container liner shipping rankings and is closing the gap on its competitor Maersk thanks to its large order book. According to information published by the industry magazine Alphaliner, the French company expects to take delivery of more than 1.7 million TEU of capacity and almost 130 ships.
