by Lloyd's List

9 December 2024 (Lloyd's List) - CMA CGM is rumoured to be in discussion with several shipbuilders for a new tranche of mid-sized containerships for delivery up to 2030.

Market sources told Lloyd’s List the Marseille-headquartered company is in the market for up to 30 dual-fuel vessels of 6,000 teu capacity.

It has not been disclosed whether CMA CGM will own the vessels, or whether the new ships will be provided via long-term charters.

In 2020, the world’s third-largest operator of containerships entered into an agreement with Belgium’s Delphis to time charter 12, ammonia-ready, mid-sized boxships that were ordered from China’s Qingdao Yangfan. 

The first ship in the series, the 5,900 teu CMA CGM Masai Mara (IMO: 9925825) entered service in May 2023 in the Africa to Middle East trades.

Other containership orders believed to be in the pipeline include a new series of ultra-large containerships for Taiwan’s Evergreen. Eleven vessels of 24,000 teu are believed to under discussion with several shipyards in China, Japan and South Korea. They are expected to be of dual-fuel methanol specification.

Firm orders for new containerships in 2024 had reached 3.8m teu of capacity by the end of November, according to data tracked by Lloyd’s List.

This is the second-highest level of boxship contracting ever recorded, only surpassed by 2021 when around 4.5m teu of capacity was ordered.