LNG-powered CMA CGM Belem launched in China

Chinese shipbuilder Hudong-Zhonghua has launched a newbuild 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel containership for French shipping giant CMA CGM.

The ship named CMA CGM Belem was launched four days ahead of schedule on January 29, 2024, at the Changxing Shipbuilding Base.

LNG-powered CMA CGM Belem has a total length of 336 meters and a width of 51 meters. It is equipped with a 14,000 cubic meter Mark III LNG cargo tank.

The ship is also equipped with the CMD-WinGD9X9DF-2.0 main engine and adopts an intelligent controlled exhaust gas recirculation (ICER) system, which can reduce methane escape in gas mode by an estimated 50% and curb greenhouse gas emissions by more than 28%.

This is the fifth unit in a series of six dual-fuel, LNG-powered containership ordered by CMA CGM in April 2021 under the $2.3 billion deal.

The fourth ship in the series, CMA CGM Bahia, was delivered in December 2023 while the construction of the sixth and final dual-fuel LNG-powered containership from the batch began in May 2023.

The French heavyweight returned to Chinese shipyards with a massive order worth $3.06 billion in April 2023 with a contract with the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) for the construction of 16 large container ships.

The order comprises twelve 15,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel and four 23,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessels.

The deal is part of CMA CGM’s decarbonization agenda which has seen over 77 ‘green’ ships ordered over the past ten years worth $10.2 billion. These vessels are predominantly LNG-powered and “e-methane ready” vessels of which 32 are already in operation.