CMA CGM and Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) have together achieved the successful bunkering of a 15,000 TEU LNG-powered containership at Yangshan Port.
CMA CGM SYMI was refuelled with LNG through a simultaneous operations ship-to-ship transfer with Shanghai International Port’s new LNG bunker barge Haigang Weilai.
The container vessel connects China to the United States on CMA CGM’s Pearl River Express (PRX) route.
Under an agreement signed by CMA CGM and SIPG in January, simultaneous operations LNG bunkering services will be provided to CMA CGM vessels sailing between Yangshan Port and the United States over the next 10 years.
“With the completion of this joint project, our group is the first shipping line to bunker LNG in China, and the first to offer full LNG-fuelled container service between China and the US West Coast,” CMA CGM Group chairman and CEO Rodolphe Saadé said.
“By expanding the network of world-class ports offering LNG services, this bunkering marks an important step in the energy transition.”
CMA CGM is participating in the United Nations’ Race to Zero initiative to become a net zero carbon company by 2050.
In 2017, the group moved to invest in dual-fuel vessels which run on LNG, an important first step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The group currently has an e-methane ready fleet comprised of 26 vessels, which is expected to grow to 44 vessels by the end of 2024.
Supporting the environmental goals behind CMA CGM’s transition, SIPG chairman Gu Jinshan described the bunkering as a historic moment for the port.
“With the joint efforts of SIPG and CMA CGM, the first bunkering of bonded LNG for ships on international voyages in Shanghai Port was successfully completed today, which is also a first in China,” he said.
“It is of great significance to creating a world-class business environment, improving Shanghai’s port service functions, and enhancing the comprehensive competitiveness of Shanghai as an international shipping centre.”
He said the expansion of bonded LNG bunkering services will help promote green and low-carbon development in the international shipping industry, in line with carbon neutrality goals.
