LNG-powered CMA CGM Patagonia hits the water

Chinese shipbuilder CSSC Jiangnan Shipyard, a subsidiary of
China State Shipbuilding Corporation, has launched the 15,000 TEU LNG-powered CMA CGM Patagonia, being built for the French container shipping major CMA CGM.

The containership is the first of five LNG-powered sister vessels ordered by the company back in 2019.

CMA CGM Patagonia is scheduled for delivery in mid-August 2021 and will be followed by sister ships: CMA CGM Kimberley, CMA CGM Everglade, CMA CGM Galapagos and CMA CGM Greenland.

The CMA CGM Group will have a fleet of 26 LNG containerships of various sizes by 2022 as part of its investment strategy in alternative fuels and becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. It is estimated that an LNG-powered vessel emits up to 20% less CO2 than fuel-powered systems.

The company has named five LNG-fuelled 23,000 TEU containerships from the series of nine, the most recent being CMA CGM Rivoli. In the first half of 2021, another four 23,000 TEU dual-fuel container ships are scheduled to join the CMA CGM fleet.

Measuring 400 meters in length and 61 meters in width, the ships are the world’s largest container vessels to run on LNG at the moment.

They will feature WinGD’s dual-fuel engines and GTT’s 18,600-cbm fuel tank, both largest ever built.