Quotidiano indipendente di economia e politica dei trasporti
21:09 GMT+1
CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE STUDI CONTAINERS
ANNO XXXVIII - Numero SETTEMBRE 2020
MARITIME TRANSPORT
LARGEST LNG-POWERED CONTAINER SHIP MAKING MAIDEN VOYAGE
The world's largest container ship powered by liquefied natural
gas (LNG) launched on its maiden voyage Wednesday.
The CMA CGM Jacques Saadé is the first of the French
shipping line's nine planned 23,000-twenty-foot-equivalent-unit
(TEU) container ships powered by LNG. The vessel is named in honor
of the CMA CGM Group's founder, the late Jacques Saadé.
CMA CGM said the Jacques Saadé will sail on its "most
emblematic line," between Asia and Northern Europe, launching
in Pusan, South Korea, and continuing to Tianjin, Ningbo, Shanghai
and Yantian, China; Singapore; Southampton, England; Dunkirk,
France; Hamburg, Germany; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Algeciras,
Spain; and Port Kelang in Malaysia.
While the Jacques Saadé will not call the United States,
CMA CGM made waves in North America earlier this month with the
15,072-TEU Brazil, the largest vessel to call the East Coast,
visiting the ports of Halifax, Nova Scotia; New York and New Jersey;
Virginia; Savannah, Georgia; and Charleston, South Carolina.
CMA CGM said the first-of-its-kind virtual naming ceremony for
the Jacques Saadé this week involved shipyard representatives
in Shanghai and the group's management in Marseille and marked "an
emotional landmark moment" in the company's history.
Saadé launched the Compagnie Maritime d'Affrètement
(CMA) in 1978 with four employees, one ship and one maritime service
between France and Lebanon. He acquired Compagnie Générale
Maritime (CGM) when it was privatized in 1996, then merged the two
companies, which led to the birth of the CMA CGM Group in 1999. He
died in June 2018.
His son, Rodolphe Saadé, now leads the CGA CGM Group as
chairman and chief executive officer. He announced in November 2017
that the new series of container ships would be equipped with
LNG-powered engines - a first in the history of shipping for ultra
large container vessels, the company said.
CMA CGM said in the naming announcement this week that "LNG
is the most advanced solution when it comes to preserving air
quality. It enables a 99% reduction in sulfur dioxide and fine
particle emissions and an 85% reduction in nitrogen dioxide
emissions, going well beyond existing regulation. LNG emits up to
20% less CO2 compared to fuel motorization.
"This technology is one of the first steps toward achieving
CMA CGM Group's ambitious 2050 objective of carbon neutrality,"
it said.
CMA CGM said the nine new ships are "packed with
innovations" and the result of seven years of research and
development. For example, the cockpit is outfitted with the latest
digital technologies to assist the commander and crew, particularly
with port maneuvers.
The vessels also feature redesigned straight bows, rudders and
propellers, all of which substantially improve hydrodynamics and
thus reduce energy consumption, CMA CGM said.
The company hailed "an extraordinary construction project
that mobilized the know-how and expertise of CMA CGM Group's experts
and their industrial partners." CMA CGM said those partners
included:
BIO-UV Group, a French specialist in ultraviolet-based water
disinfection systems that provided the BIO-SEA system, a ballast
water treatment technology.
CSSC, the shipyard in Shanghai that constructed the Jacques
Saadé.
Cryostar, a French expert in cryogenic equipment that provided
the LNG pumps.
Bureau Veritas, a French classification company in charge of
guaranteeing the certification of the Jacques Saadé and its
sister ships.
BLM, a French company that provided winches and windlasses.
GTT, a French technology and engineering expert in membrane
containment systems selected for the design of LNG tanks and related
technical services.
Schneider Electric, a French industrial group that designed the
vessel's electrical switchboards.
Sperry Marine, a U.K.-based company responsible for radio
navigation and platform equipment.
Total and the Port of Rotterdam, which provided LNG refueling
services.
Wartsila, a Finnish gas provider that handled system and
auxiliary systems.
WingGD, the Jacques Saadé's primary engine designer.
The Jacques Saadé is 1,062 feet long - about equal to the
height of the Eiffel Tower. The eight sister 23,000-TEU, LNG-powered
CMA CGM vessels will be named for other Parisian landmarks: Champs
Elysées, Palais Royal, Louvre, Rivoli, Montmartre, Concorde,
Trocadéro and Sorbonne.
"The CMA CGM Jacques Saadé embodies our commitment
to the planet," said Rodolphe Saadé. "While
guaranteeing the safety of our crew, it preserves air quality and
will be part of our fight against global warming. It significantly
improves the environmental footprint of carried goods. We have taken
a big step forward. We need to go further to build transport that is
even more respectful of the environment."
- Via Raffaele Paolucci 17r/19r - 16129 Genova - ITALIA
tel.: 010.2462122, fax: 010.2516768, e-mail
Partita iva: 03532950106
Registrazione Stampa 33/96 Tribunale di Genova
Direttore responsabile Bruno Bellio Vietata la riproduzione, anche parziale, senza l'esplicito consenso dell'editore