SIMIC

The CMA CGM Jacques Saade is the first of a series of nine 23,000 TEU container ships to fly the French flag.

CMA CGM ordered the nine 23,000-TEU containerships in 2017 from three state-run shipyards belonging to China State Shipbuilding Corporation. The nine ships in the series measure 400 metres long and 61 metres wide, ranking them among the largest containerships in the world.

"The CMA CGM Jacques Saade embodies our commitment to the planet," said Rodolphe Saade, CMA CGM's chairman and CEO. "This vessel has been enhanced with the latest technologies and is the result of 7 years of research and development.

"While guaranteeing the safety of our crew, it preserves air quality and will be part of our fight against global warming. It significantly improves the environmental footprint of carried goods. We have taken a big step forward. We need to go further to build transport that is even more respectful of the environment."

Delivery of the CMA CGM Jacques Saade comes amid lingering fears of overcapacity in the container shipping industry.

Earlier this month, South Korea's Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) completed delivery of twelve 24,000 TEU ships commencing in April to coincide with its joining of THE Alliance, comprising Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express, Yang Ming, and now HMM. The company expects another eight 16,000 TEU ships to be delivered in the second quarter of next year.

Last week, Singapore's Eastern Pacific Shipping took delivery of the CMA CGM Tenere, the first of six LNG-powered 14,800 TEU ships from South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Samho scheduled for delivery through 2022.

CMA CGM's French Asia Line provides a weekly service comprising 13 calls over the course of 84 days. Its rotation includes the ports of Pusan in South Korea; Tianjin, Ningbo, Shanghai and Yantian, China; Singapore; Southampton, Dunkirk, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Algeciras in Europe; and Port Kelang in Malaysia, reports gCaptain of Ventura, California, US.