CMA CGM poised to move to a larger, greener terminal at Yokohama port

French container shipping major CMA CGM is moving its operations to a larger terminal at the Port of Yokohama, set to be equipped with shore power and LNG bunkering infrastructure.

The move was announced by the Yokohama Kawasaki Port Corp (YKIP) saying that CMA CGM signed a reservation deal with CMA CGM to relocate from terminal D4 at the port to D5 by October 2026.

The new D5 terminal will have the capacity to accommodate vessels of up to 15,000TEU and its container yard capacity will be 20% increased. The terminal is also expected to have approximately 120% more container reefer plugs.

The D-5 container terminal is planned to have a quay with a length of 400 meters and a draft of 16 meters, allowing CMA CGM to have greater flexibility when handling large vessels of up to 15,000 TEU.

The eco-friendly container terminal will also be fitted with three gantry cranes capable of handling up to 20 rows of containers and up to nine containers high on deck, as well as eleven electric rubber tyred gantry cranes (RTGs). The terminal will also be equipped with cold-ironing facilities enabling CMA CGM’s vessels to plug into shore power to cut emissions while in port.

In addition, an LNG bunkering vessel is scheduled to go into service at Yokohama Port, enabling CMA CGM’s LNG-fuelled ships to refuel with LNG. CMA CGM currently has 32 LNG-powered vessels, which are e-methane-ready, and this number is set to reach 77 e-methane-ready vessels by 2026.

Hideki Uchida, president of CMA CGM Japan., said that switching to the D-5 container terminal will enable the company to strengthen its business and decarbonize its operations.

Shinya Hitomi, President and CEO of YKIP added that the redevelopment project of the D-5 Container Terminal was part of the company’s mid-term management policies and that it was working to open the D-5 container terminal as soon as possible.