As part of the 20th edition of the Assises de l’Économie de la Mer, CMA CGM Chairman Rodolphe Saadé announced that ten new LNG container ships will be registered under the French flag.
With a capacity of 24,212 TEU each, these are some of the largest dual-fuel ships in the world, destined to operate on the Asia-Northern Europe route, with strategic calls at the ports of Le Havre and Dunkirk.
The ten new LNG container ships
The new vessels have been designed to run on LNG, but will also be compatible with biomethane and e-methane, two low-carbon fuels that can minimize the impact of CO₂ emissions by up to 85 %, and reduce pollutants such as sulfur oxides as fine particulates.
Moreover, the operation includes an essential labor component: the hiring of 135 French seafarers trained at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure Maritime(ENSM), which strengthens naval training and generates a direct impact on employment in the sector. By sailing under the French flag, it means complying with strict social, environmental and tax regulations, which makes this decision a commitment to operational and legal excellence.
The ten containerships will bear emblematic names such as Notre Dame, Panthéon and Versailles, projecting France’s cultural and technical heritage to the world. Each unit has been built with the participation of specialized European companies such as GTT and Bureau Veritasand will be ready to be gradually incorporated into the fleet starting in 2026.
The deployment of these mega-ships by the French shipping line strengthens the logistics chains between Asia and Europe, but also confirms France’s role as a key player in the innovation of sustainable international transport.
Source and photo: CMA CGM
