Major global shipper opts to power future vessels with LNG

BONN – CMA CGM Group, the parent company of Australian National Line (ANL) announced at the COP23 climate change conference here that it will equip its nine future ships of 22,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), to be delivered in 2020, with engines using liquefied natural gas.

CMA CGM said it will be the first shipping company to equip giant containerships with this type of propulsion, pursuing its firm commitment to the protection of the environment and to ocean conservation.

It describes the use of LNG as a technological breakthrough that will yield significant benefits compared to heavy fuel oil - up to 25% less CO2; 99% less sulphur emissions; 99% less fine particles; and 85% less nitrogen oxides emissions.

The Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), which measures a ship’s environmental footprint, will improve by 20% compared to ships propelled only by fuel oil.

These containerships will use marine gas oil only for ignition of the combustion chamber.

By choosing LNG, the CMA CGM Group will go beyond current and future regulations that limit the sulphur cap to 0.5% in 2020. The Group is also fully in line with the Paris Agreement and ongoing discussions at international level.

CMA CGM said that between 2005 and 2015, the Group had reduced its CO2 emissions per container transported per kilometre by 50% and had set up an ambitious plan to further reduce CO2 emissions by 30% between 2015 and 2025.

Rodolphe Saadé, CMA CGM Group CEO, said: “We have made the bold decision to equip our future 22,000-TEU vessels with a technology firmly focussed on protection of the environment. By choosing LNG, CMA CGM confirms its ambition to be a leading force in the industry in environmental protection as a pioneer in innovative and eco-responsible technologies.”   www.cma-cgm.com  (ATI).