CMA CGM Group announced the arrival of the 15,000 TEU CMA CGM Liberty at the Honmoku D4 terminal in Yokohama on 24 July.
This is the first time that a liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered container ship calls a port in Japan.
The French ocean carrier connects Japan and Asia to Central and South America with three e-methane-ready vessels. CMA CGM Liberty is one of the three e-methane ready LNG-powered vessels that the company has lined-up on the weekly Asia Central South America 1 (ACSA1) service.
They form the ACSA1 service fleet of 12 vessels, ranging from 12,000 to 15,000 TEUs and are deployed on the regular Transpacific service.
These dual-fuel gas powered vessels currently run on LNG, avoiding up to 99% of sulphur emission, 92% of nitrogen oxide emission and 91% of particulate matter, according to CMA CGM, which noted that their engines are already capable of using BioLNG (i.e. liquefied biomethane).
The ships are also technically equipped to eventually run on e methane (i.e. syntheticmethane), a source of carbon-neutral fuel.
Furthermore, CMA CGM’s e-methane ready vessels now calling ports in Japan embody the Group’s Cleaner Energy LNG solution for Japanese shippers willing reduce the environmental footprint of their shipments.
CMA CGM Group already has a fleet of 32 “biomethane and e-methane ready” vessels in service and will count 77 by 2027 and 24 biomethanol-powered, e-methanol ready vessels by 2027.
Hideki Uchida, president of CMA CGM Japan, said, “CMA CGM’s ACSA1 service is a choice shipping option among Japanese importers of fresh fruit from central and south America. The phasing-in of LNG-powered vessels on the service at Yokohama will resonate well with many shippers who have opted for CMA CGM’s CLEANER ENERGY LNG to reduce the environmental footprint of their shipments.”
