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CMA CGM reinforces environmental objectives

The Group marks World Environment Day by reiterating its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

   The CMA CGM Group said on the occasion of Wednesday’s World Environment Day that it was reiterating its commitment to the environment and accelerating its actions to protect it.
   “The Group is firmly committed to the reduction of its carbon footprint and has implemented numerous initiatives to make its fleet more eco-responsible,” CMA CGM said in a press release. 
   The shipping line said it has introduced several innovations to reduce the carbon footprint of its vessels, including:
   • Improvements in ship design to improve their penetration into the water and thus reduce their fuel consumption.
   • Latest-generation engines that reduce fuel consumption by an average of 3% and oil consumption by 25%.
   • An approved ballast water treatment system that clears the discharged water of any living organisms that may harm marine life, without releasing any chemicals into the sea.
   • The creation of a fleet navigation center, enabling the Group’s vessels to optimize their routes in order to reduce their fuel consumption and thus their CO2 emissions.
   “Thanks to its actions, the Group has achieved a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions per container transported per kilometer between 2005 and 2015. It has achieved a further 17% reduction between 2015 and 2018,” the company said.
   The press release said CMA CGM “has become a pioneer in the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel. This energy source reduces CO2 emissions by up to 25%, sulfur and fine particles by 99% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 85%.
   The Group has taken delivery of its first two LNG-powered vessels and will receive a total of 20 LNG-powered containerships by 2022, including nine 22,000-TEU ships to be delivered beginning in 2020, it said. 
   “In 2019, CMA CGM also became the first shipping company in the world to successfully test a biofuel oil on board one of its containerships. This major step in the decarbonization of ocean freight highlights the prospects for the development of marine biofuel oil,” the company said.

Kim Link Wills

Senior Editor Kim Link-Wills has written about everything from agriculture as a reporter for Illinois Agri-News to zoology as editor of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. Her work has garnered awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Magazine Association of the Southeast. Prior to serving as managing editor of American Shipper, Kim spent more than four years with XPO Logistics.