CMA CGM unveils inaugural 13,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel boxship in Singapore

The 13,000 TEU containership CMA CGM Iron, French shipping colossal CMA CGM’s ‘first ever’ methanol-powered dual-fuel newbuilding, has been delivered.

As disclosed, CMA CGM Iron made its maiden call at the Port of Singapore on March 4, 2025. The Malta-flagged vessel features a length of 335 meters and a beam of 51 meters.

Constructed by South Korea’s shipbuilding player HD Hyundai Samho at the yard in the city of Geoje, CMA CGM Iron is the inaugural vessel in a series of twelve methanol-powered dual-fuel units that CMA CGM Group booked in February 2023 in a deal worth a staggering KRW 2.52 trillion ($2 billion).

Now that it has joined its owner’s fleet, the container vessel will join the Group’s CIMEX1 service, which connects Asia to the Middle East Gulf region.

According to the Marseille-based shipping company, the newbuild’s sisters vessels—named CMA CGM Cobalt, Argon, Platinum, Mercury, Helium, Krypton, Thorium, Osmium, Silver, Copper and Gold—will be handed over gradually, throughout the remainder of 2025 and in 2026.

The worldwide clean fuel-powered fleet has been on a steady upward trajectory, with ammonia and methanol ships attracting more and more attention from maritime industry stakeholders.

In fact, data from the Norway-based classification society DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insights (AFI) platform showed that 2024 saw 166 methanol orders (accounting for 32% of the AFI orderbook). Most of the contracts (85) involved container vessels.

Methanol offers numerous advantages over traditional marine fuels, including a reduced carbon footprint (15-25%), lower emissions of particulate matter, minimal to no sulfur oxides (SOx), up to 60% less nitrogen oxides (NOx), as well as ‘enhanced’ combustion efficiency.

Moreover, since it can be derived from a number of feedstocks, including renewable sources, methanol represents a potentially sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.

As per CMA CGM representatives, given the ‘numerous’ benefits of using methanol as fuel, the company’s newest boxship, together with the remaining eleven newbuilds, could play a ‘major’ role in the Group’s “Net Zero Carbon by 2050” vision.

“Thanks to our long-standing collaboration with the South Korean shipyard Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, we have met the challenge of this new propulsion system. This feat of engineering brings us closer to the Net Zero Carbon goal, complementing our dual-fuel gas-powered vessels,” commented Xavier Leclercq, Vice President, Newbuilding, CMA CGM.

The delivery of CMA CGM Iron comes on the heels of a KRW 3.7 trillion (about $2.57 billion) contract that the Group signed with the South Korea-headquartered shipbuilder; namely, at the end of January 2025, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) confirmed an order for a dozen liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual fuel 18,000 TEU container vessels.

The units, which HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) will reportedly build, are slated to be turned over by the end of December, 2026.

In a separate announcement, that same month, CMA CGM commissioned Finnish technology giant Wärtsilä to supply its new methane emissions-slashing solution on a 100,000 dwt LNG-powered container vessel octet, which China’s Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding yard is currently constructing, with delivery scheduled for 2026 and 2026.