China: CMA CGM MARCO POLO Deploys on Maiden Voyage

CMA CGM Group announced that the CMA CGM MARCO POLO, the world’s largest containership, has begun its first voyage Wednesday, November 7th, in Ningbo, China.

Symbol of the pioneer spirit of the CMA CGM Group, the new 16 000 TEU vessel, owned by CMA CGM, sails under the UK flag.

Built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) in South Korea, the giant of the seas displays exceptional dimensions: 396 meters long, 54 meters wide, with a draft of 16 meters. The CMA CGM MARCO POLO is the first of a series of three 16 000 TEU vessels, that will all be named after great explorers. The delivery of the two next vessels is expected in 2013.

Operated on the emblematic line of the Group, the French Asia Line  (FAL 1), the CMA CGM MARCO POLO will call at Ningbo (7 nov), Shanghai (9 nov), Xiamen (11 nov), Hong Kong (13 nov), Chiwan (13 nov), Yantian (15 nov), Port Kelang (19 nov), Tanger (6 dec), Southampton (10 dec), Hamburg (12 dec), Bremerhaven (14 dec), Rotterdam (16 dec), Zeebrugge (17 dec), Le Havre (19 dec), Malta (26 dec), Khor Al Fakkan (5 jan), Jebel Ali (7 jan) and Ningbo (23 jan).

The FAL1 operates the largest vessels of the CMA CGM fleet and offers its customers a fixed-day, weekly connection between Central and South China, the main exporting zones of the country, and Northern Europe. The direct service to Southampton and to Hamburg offers European importers the fastest transit times of the market.

The FAL1 is part of a global network of 8 CMA CGM services connecting Asia to Europe Atlantic, the most thorough offer on the market, and which is based on 29 vessels of 11,400 to 16,000 TEUs.

Nicolas Sartini, CMA CGM Group Senior Vice President Asia-Europe Lines, states:

“It is with great pride that the CMA CGM Group launches this new vessel, which is the largest in the world. It shows the expertise of the Group’s teams, who are able to handle not only the very technical piloting of the ship but also its commercial operations. Our entire network of 400 agencies all around the world is active to ensure the successful launching of this ship. The CMA CGM Marco Polo is going to join the FAL service, the backbone of the Group’s network of lines. This launching reinforces the Group’s strategy, which began 20 years ago, with the opening of its own offices in China, and continues today with 34 services going from China to Europe, to North and South America, to Australia and Africa, i.e. one departure every 5 hours. To this must also be added the 20 weekly services of our subsidiary Cheng Lie Navigation, the Intra-Asia specialist.”

In line with the sustainable development policy of the Group, CMA CGM MARCO POLO is equipped with all the latest environmental technologies:

• An electronically controlled engine allowing a significantly reduced consumption of fuel (-3% on average) and of lub oil (-25%).
• A twisted leading edge rudder improving the hydrodynamics of the vessel (optimisation of the water flow), and significantly reducing energy expenditures as well as CO2 emissions.
• A Pre-Swirl Stator® allowing the straightening up of the water flow upstream from the propeller in order to improve its productivity. Combined with the twisted leading edge rudder, this innovation optimizes the hydrodynamics of the vessel and makes it possible to reduce by 2 to 4% the consumption of energy and the atmospheric emissions.
• An “Exhaust Gas Bypass” system, which improves the energetic efficiency of the vessel, reducing the fuel consumption by 1.5% at low speeds.
• An optimized hull design allowing to sensibly improve the propulsion of the vessel into the water.
• A ballast water treatment system, in order to preserve the biodiversity of the oceans by not rejecting chemicals into seawater.