China and France sign a record deal for LNG- and methanol-powered vessels

The China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) will build 16 container ships for French shipping company CMA CGM, 12 of which will be dual-fuel methanol vessels and 4 dual-fuel LNG ships.

PHOTO: CMA CGM container ship. China Chamber of Commerce to the EU

Each of the dual-fuel vessels with methanol options will have the capacity to carry 15,000-twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs), while the dual-fuel LNG vessels will be bigger and have a 23,000-TEU capacity.

The €2.8 billion ($3.06 billion) order is a "new record” in terms of the largest single order placed with a Chinese shipbuilder, said the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCEU). The deal was signed during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to China.

Last June, CMA CGM ordered six 15,000 TEU capacity dual-fuel methanol-powered vessels for induction by 2025. With this order, the French shipping major now has 18 methanol-fuelled vessels on order.

As far as methanol-fuelled vessels are concerned, this order is just second to Danish shipping company A.P. Møller – Mærsk’s order for 19 methanol-powered vessels. Chinese shipping company COSCO Shipping Lines stands third with 12 orders.

By Konica Bhatt

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