CMA CGM takes delivery of 13,300-TEU ship

CMA CGM takes delivery of 13,300-TEU ship    Emma, meet Chris.
   CMA CGM Group said it had taken delivery on Tuesday of CMA CGM Christophe Colomb from the Korean shipyard DSME.
   With a capacity of 13,300 TEUs, the ship will be one of the world's largest containerships and will be deployed in the Asia/Europe loop that Maersk operates with its largest ships, the 14,781-TEU Emma Maersk and its seven sister ships, as well as the smaller 9,700-TEU Gjertrud Maersk. Ten ships are deployed in the service which CMA CGM designates as the FAL 7 and Maersk the AE7.
   “This new giant of the seas is a strategic asset for CMA CGM while volumes and freight rates on the Asia-to-Europe market are recovering,” said Nicolas Sartini, senior vice president of Asia/Europe lines, CMA CGM Group. “Thanks to its size and equipment, this modern and competitive vessel enables the group to meet its growing customer demand on this key market while ensuring economies of scale.”
   The ship has several energy savings features. A pre-swirl stator and twisted leading-edge rudder will cut fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 2 percent to 4 percent, the company said. It also said an electronically controlled engine that reduces lubricating oil consumption by 25 percent and fuel consumption by 3 percent. The company said the engine allows the ship to be operated as slowly as 14-15 knots.
   The superstructure is located forward, which the company says maximizes space utilization, guarantees a better visibility from the bridge and reinforces the vessel's hull. Tanks located underneath the superstructure, are protected by the double hull of the vessel, in compliance with the MARPOL 12A regulation that will come into effect in August 2010.
   The vessel will start a rotation in Shanghai on the Nov. 11 that takes 70 days to complete: Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Yantian, Algeciras, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Algeciras, Yantian, Hong Kong and Shanghai.