CMA CGM group announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Liquefied Natural Gas supplier ENGIE in order to study new uses in the shipping industry.
According to a CMA CGM press release, the agreement was signed today at the Marseille Headquarters of the French container carrier and it follows up the research programs to develop LNG as an alternative fuel for tomorrow’s container vessels.
Farid Salem, Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, and Isabelle Kocher, CEO of ENGIE, signed the agreement today at the Marseille headquarters of CMA CGM.
CMA CGM and ENGIE will run a technical and economic study on LNG as fuel and the development of engineering specification for vessels adapted to LNG powered container ships.
Farid Salem, Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, believes that in the next few years LNG will gain a position as an alternative to the use of heavy fuel oil.
“Liquefied natural gas has many environmental advantages. It is undoubtedly the fuel of the future of the maritime shipping industry that will progressively substitute heavy fuel oil over the next few decades. CMA CGM wishes to be a pioneer in this area. And with the agreement with ENGIE this allows the company to move one step closer”
LNG brings many environmental advantages as CO2 emission’s reduction, sulfur oxide (SOX) emissions elimination, and nitrogen oxides (NOX) reduction.
Isabelle Kocher, CEO of ENGIE, LNG is important for the reduction of pollution in maritime industry:
“Liquefied natural gas has many environmental advantages. It is undoubtedly the fuel of the future of the maritime shipping industry that will progressively substitute heavy fuel oil over the next few decades. CMA CGM wishes to be a pioneer in this area. And with the agreement with ENGIE this allows the company to move one step closer”.
In 2014, ENGIE collaborated with Mitsubishi Corporation and NYX to develop the first purpose-built LNG bunkering vessel in the market.
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