French shipping giant CMA CGM said it has placed orders for seven LNG dual-fuel containerships, further expanding its huge fleet of LNG-fueled vessels.
According to a statement by CMA CGM, four of these ships will have a capacity 7,300 units and three will have a capacity of 7,900 units.
Also, each vessel will have 1,385 reefer plugs.
CMA CGM said the vessels would replace smaller ships dedicated to routes between the French West Indies, France, and Europe.
They will serve Guadeloupe and Martinique, significantly increasing services to the two islands, it said.
CMA CGM said it would start taking deliveries of the LNG-powered vessels in 2024.
The French firm plans to fuel the ships with bio-LNG in order to further slash emissions.
Biogas produced from biomass reduces CO2 emissions by 67 percent compared with conventional fuel and cuts sulfur oxide emissions by 99 percent, fine particle emissions by 91 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by 92 percent, CMA CGM claims.
The dual-fuel gas engine technology developed by CMA CGM and its partners since 2017 is able to use biogas as well as synthetic methane.
CMA CGM already has 31 e-methane ready containerships in its fleet fitted with dual-fuel engines. It will have 77 of these vessels by 2026, it said.
The French firm did not reveal any information regarding the shipyard(s) which would build the seven new LNG-powered ships.
Prior to this, CMA CGM placed orders for ten LNG dual-fuel containerships and six methanol-fueled vessels at yards in both China and South Korea.
