CMA CGM launches first low-carbon shipping offer by choosing biomethane

April 9, 2021: Ahead of the UN Global Compact and as part of the first high-level preparatory talks for the COP26 summit, Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, has put forward solutions that are immediately available and that contribute to achieving the Group’s objective of being carbon-neutral by 2050.

Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, declared: “We have crossed a new step with the launch of the first low-carbon shipping offer based on biomethane. We know that there is still a long way to go to meet the commitments of the Paris Agreement. Achieving these goals do not rely on a single solution but on a set of initiatives and new technologies complementary to each other.”

The CMA CGM Group has reached another milestone in its efforts to be carbon-neutral by 2050, by supporting the production of 12,000 tonnes of biomethane (equivalent to a year’s fuel consumption of two 1,400-TEU ships).

Biomethane is a renewable green gas produced in part by the methanation of European-sourced organic and plant waste. This energy source represents a fine example of how the circular economy can work while benefiting the agricultural sector. CMA CGM intends to push ahead with the development of this energy source by investing in biomethane production facilities and studying the viability of liquefaction processes so that biomethane can be rolled out as a shipping fuel.

“By supporting biomethane production, CMA CGM is accelerating its commitment to leading the energy transition in the shipping sector. The Group cut its overall CO2 emissions by 4 percent in 2020, following a 6 percent reduction in 2019. Since 2008, the Group has lowered its CO2 emissions per container-kilometre by 49 percent,” reads the release.

12,000 tonnes of guarantee-of-origin (GO) biomethane is enough to fuel the equivalent of two 1,400-TEU LNG-powered ships operating on the Northern European Balt3 line between St Petersburg and Rotterdam for a whole year.

Guarantee-of-Origin Biomethane, coupled with CMA CGM’s dual-fuel gas-power technology, can reduce well-to-wake (entire value chain) greenhouse gas emissions (including CO2) by at least 67 percent. On a tank-to-wake basis (at ship level), the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions reaches 88 percent (including CO2).

As of May 2021, the Group’s customers will be able to select biomethane via the Act with CMA CGM+ range of services, paving the way for a substantial reduction in the environmental impact of the shipping of their goods.

ACT with CMA CGM+ provides a full range of services designed to enable its customers to analyze, reduce and offset their environmental footprint. CMA CGM will continue to embrace the latest technological advances to meet the needs of its customers.

The CMA CGM Group harnesses the most effective technologies available to accelerate the energy transition in the shipping and logistics industry. As it stands, LNG is the optimum solution already available for reducing the carbon footprint of shipping and preserving air quality. It can reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 99 percent, particulate matter emissions by 91 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by 92 percent, going well beyond existing standards. By 2022, 32 of the Group’s vessels will be LNG-powered.