CMA CGM has named the first in a series of 10 24,000 TEU LNG-powered containerships, the ‘CMA CGM Notre Dame’, in the port of Le Havre, an event considered to mark a new milestone in the development of a high-performance, decarbonised French fleet.
Measuring nearly 400m in length and 61m width, the CMA CGM Notre Dame is the largest containership operating under the French flag. It is also the largest LNG-powered containership afloat. Its LNG propulsion technology significantly reduces emissions of SOx, fine particulate matter, NOx and CO₂ compared with conventional marine fuels.
By 2028, CMA CGM’s French-flagged fleet is expected to increase from 30 to 40 vessels. To support this expansion, the group will recruit 135 French seafarers.
Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CFO, CMA CGM Group, said: “This vessel also embodies a France that is looking to the future. It reflects the bold industrial choices we have made in recent years to usher maritime transport into a new era. First, decarbonisation, with one of the most advanced LNG propulsion systems, supporting our ambition to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2050. Then artificial intelligence, in which I strongly believe. The CMA CGM Notre Dame is equipped with systems that enable real-time voyage optimisation, improve energy efficiency and enhance the vessel’s environmental performance.”
The CMA CGM Notre Dame will operate on the French Asia Line service between Asia and Europe.
Image: CMA CGM ‘Notre Dame’ (source: CMA CGM)
