News about capacity expansion in the ocean freight industry continues to filter through unabated with yet another announcement of a leading line expanding its vessel fleet to cater for expected growth in the immediate future.
French carrier CMA CGM is said to have ordered 22 newbuilds from China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), all of which will expectedly join the Marseille-run line’s service from 2023/4.
Twelve of the vessels will be powered by liquid natural gas (LNG) while the remaining 10 are very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) ships.
Of the 12 LNG vessels, six will add 13 000 TEUs to CMA CGM’s capacity, while the remaining six will add 15 000 TEUs.
Together with the additional 5 500 TEUs of the new VLSFO ships, the total capacity expansion once all the newbuilds have come into commission will amount to 33 500 TEUs.
News of CMA CGM’s newbuild orders comes in the wake of Friday’s report (https://tinyurl.com/emvvamwj) that MSC is closing the capacity gap on Maersk with projections indicating that the Danish-owned carrier could be toppled from its leading-line perch sometime next year.
In terms of newbuilds on its order books, Maersk will only have 16 new vessels joining its fleet of 709 in the following years, compared to MSC’s order of 35.
