Maiden call in Malta by the CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE

On October 27 2020, Malta welcomed the CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE, the world’s largest containership powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), as she makes her first call in Europe at the Malta Freeport terminal with the presence of Dr Ian Borg, Minister for Transport in Malta, Ms Julia Farrugia Portelli, Minister for Tourism in Malta and H.E. Ms Brigitte Curmi, French Ambassador to Malta. This represents a highly symbolic call for the CMA CGM Group’s flagship, just a few days after she set a new world record for the number of full containers loaded on a single journey.

The CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE, the largest containership in the world with a capacity of 23,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent containers) and powered by LNG, has arrived in Malta, her first port of call in Europe. The CMA CGM Group’s flagship, which set a new world record when she left Singapore with a load of 20,723 full containers aboard, crossed the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal to reach the Mediterranean, and will shortly continue her journey to Northern Europe.

The CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE joined the Group’s fleet on September 22nd in a ceremony held in Shanghai and is currently making her maiden voyage on the Group’s iconic French Asia Line (FAL 1) connecting Asia to Europe. The line provides a weekly service comprising 13 calls over 84 days.

In November 2017, Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, made the ground-breaking decision to fit the CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE and her 8 sister ships with an LNG-powered engine, a first in the shipping industry for vessels of their size. This decision demonstrated the CMA CGM Group’s resolve to champion the energy transition in the shipping sector.

LNG is currently the state-of-the-art industry solution for preserving air quality.

This innovative new class of ships, which measures 400 meters in length with a 61-meter overall beam and a height of 78 meters, is the product of 7 years’ research and development by CMA CGM’s experts Thanks to this new system, the CMA CGM Group’s new vessels will deliver a 4% reduction in CO2 emissions. In parallel, the vessels will use a smart system to manage the ventilation of the refrigerated containers carried in the holds.

Malta Freeport is a key hub for the main shipping routes and the Mediterranean for CMA CGM

About CMA CGM

Led by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group is a world leader in shipping and logistics.Its 500 vessels serve more than 420 ports across five continents around the world and carried nearly 22 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2019. With CEVA Logistics, a world leader in logistics services, CMA CGM handles more than 500,000 tons of airfreight and 1.9 million tons of inland freight every year.CMA CGM is constantly innovating to offer customers new maritime, inland and logistics solutions.

Present on every continent and in 160 countries through its network of 755 offices and 750 warehouses, the Group employs 110,000 people worldwide, of which 2,400 in Marseille where its head office is located.