The French shipping group CMA CGM and the Chinese port operator Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) have achieved China’s first bonded LNG SIMOPS (simultaneous operations) bunkering with the 15,000 TEU CMA CGM Symi being refueled with LNG at Yangshan Port in Shanghai on 15 March.
Haigang Weilai, a new 20,000 m3 LNG bunker barge deployed by SIPG provided CMA CGM SYMI with LNG by means of a ship-to-ship transfer, while the container ship carried out cargo operations simultaneously.
“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-fueled container service between China and the US West Coast. By expanding the network of world-class ports offering LNG services, this bunkering marks an important step in the energy transition,” commented Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group.
CMA CGM and SIPG signed an agreement in January, according to which the Chinese operator will provide SIMOPS LNG bunkering service for the French carrier’s vessels sailing from China to the United States at Yangshan Port. The agreement will be effective from the end of the first quarter of 2022 and will last 10 years.
“The Shanghai port’s implementation of bonded LNG bunkering for ships on international voyages has been highly valued by the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, and has received strong support from relevant departments,” said Gu Jinshan, chairman of SIPG.
“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 center,” he added.
Jinshan pointed out, “With the expansion of bonded LNG bunkering service for international voyage ships at Shanghai port, that will be conducive to promoting green and low-carbon development in the international shipping industry and contributing to the achievement of carbon neutrality goal.”
