PHASE 4 – Launching the Ship

The vessel is launched: the dry dock is filled with water, and the ship floats for the first time! It is then moored in the fitting-out quay. Workers spend three to four more months finishing the work on the ship. They install electrical cables, lighting, fans and other types of equipment. The CMA CGM officers that will form the ship’s crew take part in the dock acceptance testing and gradually take possession of the ship.

PHASE 5 – Sea Trials

Over the course of two to four days, the ship is sent out for its sea trials with the officers and the supervisory team.

Speed and manoeuvrability are tested, along with the various machinery. With the ship moving at full speed, the crash stop test determines the time needed for it to come to a full stop! The Company officers familiarise themselves with the process for taking charge of the ship.

PHASE 6 – The delivery

The ship is certified as compliant by the classification society, Bureau Veritas in this case. Four weeks after the sea trials, it is baptised and blessed. This ceremony is meant to bring the ship good luck, as it will spend years at sea. It is also an emotional moment for the CMA CGM teams, who have been onsite overseeing the construction for many months!

PHASE 5

PHASE 4

PHASE 6

Captain Jaspard

Taking possession of a ship from the shipyard is always a moving experience for a ship’s crew. When we arrive at the yard, we have one month to get to know the ship, make it our own and finalise the preparations. We help with the final sea trials, and then it’s the big send-off. We cast off the moorings on our way to our first port of call. This is an emotional moment, filled with the clamour of sirens and whistles, when we say goodbye to the yard that gave birth to this enormous vessel. That is also the beginning of another intense period. A ship’s first round trip means maiden calls in each port, and the port authorities are always excited to welcome a new leviathan. The CMA CGM Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was even more noteworthy, being one of the world’s largest ships, and it is often the largest ship ever to call in the ports where we stop. We have a huge collection of commemorative plaques and small gifts on board: from traditional Korean dolls to a Delftware plate given to us by the port of Rotterdam. We carry with

us a piece of every country we have visited. These calls also give us a chance to meet and talk with some of our customers. This is a rare opportunity for us as sailors, even though we carry their goods to every corner of the globe every day.

But my greatest challenge is spelling the name of the CMA CGM Antoine de Saint-Exupéry on the radio to a pilot who doesn’t speak French in every new port of call!

VIDEO CMA CGM ANTOINE DE SAINT EXUPÉRY IN ALGECIRAS

16THE EXPERTS