Climate change has been and is at the heart of many initiatives within the shipping and freight industry.. Whether it is IMO’s proposed implementation of IMO 2020 regulations 98 days down the road, or the use of bio fuels to run ships or the use of scrubbers or LNG powered ships, there are several initiatives being followed by the industry..

In line with this, Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group announced in 2017 that the group would be ordering a series of 23,000-TEU containerships that would be the world’s first ever to be powered by LNG (liquefied natural gas)..

This decision became a reality when the group announced the launch of the world’s largest LNG powered containership..

This major milestone was reached on the 25th of September at the Shanghai Jiangnan-Changxing Shipyard, at an event attended by Rodolphe Saadé, French and Chinese officials, business leaders and CMA CGM Group customers..

The CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE, is the first in a new fleet of nine French-flagged, 23,000-TEU, LNG-powered containerships, and comes packed with an extensive array of environmentally-friendly technologies including a smart system to manage ventilation for the reefer containers carried in the hold..

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As per CMA CGM, “To further improve the environmental performance of the CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE and her sister ships, their hull forms have been hydrodynamically optimised. The bulb has been seamlessly integrated into the hull profile and the bow is straight. The propeller and rudder blade have also been improved, along with the Becker Twisted Fin®.”

As per CMA CGM, these large ships which are 400m long and 61m wide also comes with a state-of-the-art bridge design with four major innovations to assist the Captain and crew, said to be a world first :

a tactical display offering enhanced map views for more dynamic navigation briefingsa path prediction system optimised to display the ship’s predicted position in the next three minutesa smart eye system projecting a bird’s-eye view of the ship’s surrounding areaaugmented reality screens offering the crew precise information on the ship’s rate of rotation, distance from the wharf and transverse speeds.

The ships will bear the “LNG POWERED” logo attesting to the major worldwide innovation that LNG propulsion represents on ships of this size..

Announcing the launch, CMA CGM also added “Through this strategic choice, the CMA CGM Group reaffirmed its assertive commitment to safeguarding the environment and leading the industry’s energy transition.” making CMA CGM, the world’s first maritime shipping company to choose LNG to power its ultra large containerships..

LNG helps to reduce

emissions of sulphur oxides and fine particles by 99%nitrogen oxides emissions by up to 85%carbon dioxide emissions by around 20%

These new vessels will join the Group’s fleet in 2020 on the French Asia Line (Asia-Northern Europe) and will be registered under the French International Register (RIF)..

The world’s first LNG-powered container ship has been named after the founder of CMA CGM Mr.Jacques Saadé, a visionary entrepreneur, who built CMA CGM into one of the world’s leading maritime shipping companies, while maintaining its family dimension and strong values..

During the launch event, Rodolphe Saadé, said: “With the launching of the first 23,000-TEU ship powered by Liquified Natural Gas, we demonstrate that energy transition can be successful in our industry if all the players work together. It paves the way to a global shipping approach where economic growth and competitiveness can coexist sustainability and the fight against climate change.”

Congratulations to CMA CGM on this major milestone and many more to come in combating climate change..

Source Link | Shipping and Freight Resource