On July 23, global energy giant TotalEnergies and CMA CGM Group announced an agreement to establish a 50:50 joint venture focused on providing and operating liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering solutions for vessels at the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
According to the agreement, the joint venture plans to deploy and jointly operate a 20,000-cubic-meter LNG bunkering vessel in Rotterdam by the end of 2028. The joint venture will leverage TotalEnergies’ existing logistics infrastructure in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) region to provide one-stop LNG bunkering services for shipping companies, including CMA CGM.
TotalEnergies has been operating the 18,600-cubic-meter LNG bunkering vessel “Gas Agility” in the ARA region since 2020. The new vessel will work in synergy with existing facilities to further enhance the flexibility and operational efficiency of regional LNG bunkering.
To support CMA CGM’s “Net Zero Carbon by 2050” target, TotalEnergies will supply up to 360,000 tons of LNG annually to CMA CGM from 2028 to 2040. CMA CGM’s dual-fuel LNG fleet is expected to expand to 123 vessels by 2029.
Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, stated: “We are proud to partner with CMA CGM to develop the LNG bunkering chain in Europe’s core ports. LNG is currently the most mature and viable emission-reduction solution for the shipping industry. This collaboration not only strengthens our leadership in LNG bunkering but also demonstrates the shared commitment of two French companies to drive the energy transition.”
Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM Group, emphasized: “By establishing this joint venture, CMA CGM and TotalEnergies are taking a new step in supporting the energy transition of shipping. For the first time, a shipping company and an energy supplier will jointly operate an LNG bunkering vessel in the Port of Rotterdam. This is a concrete pathway to scaling up alternative fuels and accelerating the decarbonization of global trade.”
In fact, TotalEnergies and CMA CGM have long collaborated deeply in advancing low-carbon shipping:
2017: Signed a 10-year agreement for TotalEnergies to supply 300,000 tons of LNG annually to CMA CGM in Rotterdam
2019: Renewed a 10-year agreement for the Marseille-Fos Port with an annual supply of 250,000 tons of LNG
2020: Completed a 17,300-cubic-meter LNG bunkering for CMA CGM’s large container vessel in Rotterdam
2021: Achieved a 16,400-cubic-meter LNG bunkering in Dunkirk, France
2022: Completed a 6,000-cubic-meter ship-to-ship LNG bunkering in Marseille-Fos Port.
Compared to traditional marine fuels, LNG reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 20%. With bio-LNG or synthetic LNG, the reduction can be further increased to 67% and 85%, respectively. Additionally, LNG cuts nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 85% and nearly eliminates sulfur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter (99%).
As the world’s third-largest LNG operator (with a capacity of 40 million tons/year by 2024), TotalEnergies plans to increase the share of natural gas in its energy sales to nearly 50% by 2030 while continuously optimizing carbon emissions across the LNG value chain.
CMA CGM is actively driving decarbonization in shipping through fleet optimization, low-carbon fuel adoption, and technological innovation. Its new-generation fleet already widely uses clean energy such as LNG and biomethane, with future expansion into e-methane and green methanol.
