AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE BIRTH OF A GIANT

Since the beginning of the 2000s, the size of container ships has been endlessly optimised! “Thanks to new- generation engines, we are now able to carry twice as many containers compared to a few years ago on the same amount of fuel”, Ludovic Gérard explains. “The massive size of our ships means that we can more efficiently satisfy the demand of a growing

market. It also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions per container and per kilometre, in accordance with our commitments1”. The world’s largest carriers are all building larger and larger ships for long-haul shipping. CMA CGM

recently ordered nine 22,000 TEU ships powered by liquefied natural gas to be delivered in 2020 and 2021. “The technology would allow for ships of up to 30,000 TEU. However, these container ships would be forced to remain at the dock longer for container handling. That would not deliver substantial economies of scale. In addition, even if the terminals adjusted, the gigantic size of the ships would make steering in the port more difficult and the trip through the Suez Canal much more challenging, forcing us to go around the Cape of Good Hope!” Thus, there is a natural logistical limit to this battle to create the biggest ships. “The maximum size of ships is probably around 24,000 TEU,” Ludovic Gérard states.

>1 The CMA CGM Group has pledged to reduce its CO2 emissions per TEU/km by 50% between 2005 and 2015. We have further pledged to a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions per TEU by 2025.

The CMA CGM ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY, the first of the three new 20,600 TEU ships ordered by the Group, joined the fleet in January. Construction of this massive ship begun two years prior at the Hanjin Heavy Industries shipyards in the Philippines. Ludovic Gérard, Vice President Executive Officer CMA Ships, tells us about these new giant ships and what they mean to the Group.

14THE EXPERTS