First call in France by an LNG-fueled containership took place in Dunkirk
The CMA CGM CHAMPS ELYSEES, sailing under the French flag, called at Terminal des Flandres at the Grand Port Maritime of Dunkirk, the first call in France by a 23,000 TEU vessel powered by LNG. She joins forces with the CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE, the CMA CGM Group’s flagship, on the French Asia Line (FAL 1), the iconic route linking Asia with Europe, with a weekly call in Dunkirk.
In November 2017, Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, made the visionary decision to order nine 23,000 TEUs with an LNG power supply, a first in the history of the shipping industry for vessels of this size.
The weekly FAL 1 call in Dunkirk will keep France supplied with goods ahead of the festive season. CMA CGM also helps to export French and European products around the world, so this weekly call also a means of exporting high value-added goods, such as industrial equipment, as well as French agricultural products.
The CMA CGM Group now operates seven LNG-powered containerships sailing under the French flag and will have a fleet of 26 containerships of various sizes by 2022. The CMA CGM CHAMPS ELYSEES and her eight 23,000 TEU sister ships (including the CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE) will be registered on the French International Register (RIF). They will be named after iconic monuments and landmarks in the French capital (Palais Royal, Louvre, Rivoli, Montmartre, Concorde, Trocadéro and Sorbonne).
