Paris class society, French LNG giant join CMA CGM mega ship deal

CHINA State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) shipyards Jiangnan Changxing Shipbuilding (Hudong Zhonghua) and Shanghai Jiangnan Changxing Heavy Industry (SWS) has signed a contract with Paris-based Bureau Veritas (BV) for the classification of nine CMA CGM 22,000-TEU ships.

Under the deal, all nine gas-fuelled ultra-large box ships will be built to BV class rules and under BV newbuilding supervision, reports Rotterdam’s World Maritime News.

“Bureau Veritas is delighted and honoured to be classing these ships,” said BV vice president Claude Maillot.

The classification contract for the world’s largest LNG fuelled containerships was held at Marintec 2017 in Shanghai.

The new ships will have a bunker capacity close to 18,000 cubic metres (cbm). The first ships from the order are scheduled to come into service from the end of 2019.

CMA CGM will become the first shipping company in the world to equip giant containerships with such engines, under a contract estimated to be worth US$1.2 billion.