CMA CGM has chosen a French port as a refuelling hub for its future LNG-powered 15,000-TEU vessels.
The Port of Marseille Fos will be utilised to refuel the container ships, set to operate between Asia and the Mediterranean and scheduled for delivery starting in 2021.
Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and chief executive officer of the CMA CGM Group, declared: “Liquefied Natural Gas is the only energy currently available and reliable to significantly reduce our carbon footprint. The choice of LNG to power our ships requires the complete adaptation of the entire energy supply chain and infrastructure.
“By choosing Marseille-Fos as a refuelling port for our 15,000-TEU vessels, from the end of 2021, we are bringing the French container ports into this major energy transition.”
Supply agreement
Total and CMA CGM have also signed an agreement for the supply of approximately 270,000t per year of LNG over 10 years. This is expected to cover the fuel requirements for CMA CGM’s ships at the port.
As part of this agreement, Total will provide a suitable solution for the bunkering of these container ships with the positioning of an LNG Bunker Vessel at the port of Marseille-Fos and a complementary bunkering solution in Singapore. These new supply chains will further expand the use of LNG as a marine fuel, particularly in the Mediterranean Sea.
Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of Total, said: "The development of Liquefied Natural Gas as a marine fuel is at the heart of our LNG strategy. This new contract with CMA CGM results in the launch of a dedicated supply chain in the port of Marseille-Fos.”
