CMA CGM is considering placing new orders for large mainline container ships. This is the reason it would be contacting shipyards in China and South Korea to request price and design proposals for vessels in the range of 17,000 to 24,000 TEU.
The French shipping company appears to be particularly interested in the new class of compact ships between 18,000 and 21,000 TEU, which combine an NPX length of 22 /366 meters with a post-NPX configuration of 22 or even 23 container rows, as reported by Alphaliner based on brokerage sources.
“In the PNPX size classes, CMA CGM already has 54 ships on order, including twelve 24,000 TEU megamax ships (10 built by YZJ and 2 by CSSC Hudong), six 22,000 TEU ships (DISC) and 36 ships of approximately 18,500 TEU (12 by NTS via charters with EPS, 12 by Hyundai and 12 by CSSC Jiangnan). All of these will be dual-fuel LNG units,” the consultant added.
To date, CMA CGM has a fleet capable of transporting 4,062,397 TEU, which positions it in third place in the ranking of the main shipping companies, behind Maersk (4,607,102 TEU) and Mediterranean Shipping Company (6,901,408 TEU).
