CMA CGM ordering 12 more 14,000-TEU ships?

Several industry media outlets have reported that CMA CGM has placed an order for 12 newbuild container vessels that will be capable of running on liquified natural gas (LNG), but the French ocean carrier has declined to comment.    French ocean carrier CMA CGM has placed an order for another dozen newbuild containerships, according to multiple media reports.
   The order includes six firm vessels and an option for six more with a capacity of 14,000 TEUs, each from South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).
   Although the purchase price has not been disclosed, the vessels will reportedly be equipped with engines that are capable of running on liquified natural gas (LNG), as well as traditional marine diesel fuel.
   CMA CGM in November 2017 confirmed an order for nine 22,000-TEU ships, which will be the first of their size to be dual-fuel capable.
   The company said at the time that although these vessels will still use small amounts of traditional fuel oil in the combustion chamber, the use of LNG will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) output by 25 percent, nitrogen oxide emissions by 85 percent, and all but eliminate sulfur and fine particle emissions.
   In December, CMA CGM inked an agreement with French energy giant Total for the supply of 300,000 tons of LNG per year for 10 years to fuel the newbuild mega-ships, all of which are slated for delivery in 2020.
   Using LNG as marine fuel could begin to gain more momentum in the lead up to Jan. 1, 2020, when the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Maritime Environmental Protection Committee (MPEC) will lower the global cap on the allowable amount of sulfur in marine fuel from 3.5 percent to 0.5 percent.
   CMA CGM has declined to comment on the reports of its latest order with HHI.