CMA CGM Eschews Northern Shipping Route
Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, has announced that the CMA CGM fleet will not use the Northern Sea Route.
He also announced that his Group will give priority to liquefied natural gas to power its future ships
The CMA CGM Group thus reasserts its role within the maritime transport industry as a leader in protecting the environment.
Today, the Northern Sea Route, which runs the length of the Siberian Coast, connects Asia to Europe. It has been made navigable due to the effects of global warming.
Rich in its unique and largely unexplored biodiversity, the Arctic plays an essential role in regulating ocean currents and global climate patterns.
The use of the Northern Sea Route will represent a significant danger to the unique natural ecosystems of this part of the world, mainly due to the numerous threats posed by accidents, oil pollution or collisions with marine wildlife.
To avoid posing a greater threat to this fragile environment, Rodolphe Saadé has decided that none of the CMA CGM Group’s 500 vessels will use the Northern Sea Route along Siberia, which is now open due to climate change.
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With this decision, CMA CGM makes the resolute choice to protect the environment and the planet’s biodiversity despite the major competitive advantage this route represents for shipping companies.
Also, liquefied natural gas offers the best proven solution available to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of maritime transport. The use of LNG reduces emissions of sulphur and fine particles by 99%, nitrogen oxides emissions by 85% and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 20%.
CMA CGM is leading the way with its decision to use LNG power in its ultra-large ships that carry up to 23,000 containers.
This pioneering choice in the international maritime industry took seven years of development in collaboration with shipyards, suppliers, large groups, SMEs and research laboratories.
The first ship in this fleet of nine container vessels will be delivered as early as 2020. By 2022, the Group will have 20 LNG-powered vessels in its fleet.
Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, states: “We make these choices to meet the needs of our employees and our customers, who are increasingly concerned about the environment. But above all, we make these decisions for the future, to leave our children a cleaner planet.
“These are brave, bold choices, which go far beyond purely business decisions. This is a firm belief for us, born out of our family ethos and our strong human values, to make responsible, forward-looking choices.
“That is how we plan to build fairer, more environmentally-friendly trade, and I invite the entire industry - competitors, partners and customers - to join us.”
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