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vessels of the G5 class has been developed so as to re- act still more efficiently to the demand for high-grade transport services on ocean routes and in doing so to reconcile the demands of international freight services with those of environmental protection,” explains Gi- anluca Grimaldi, President of the Grimaldi Group. “We are therefore now taking an important step along the way pursued for some years of operating all our main routes with a newer and newer, more modern and eco- logically more sustainable fleet.”
The ships of the G5 class are the first of their kind. The cargo capacity of the seven decks – two liftable – is double that of the existing RoRo-class deployed by Grimaldi Group on short-sea traffic. A total of 7,800 metres of wheeled cargo can be transported. That cor- responds to around 500 trailers plus 180 cars. The stern ramp also permits loading of units weighing up to 150 tons. These green giants are also in a position to halve CO2 emissions during transport, and to reduce these to zero during port laytime.
A FUEL FOR THE FUTURE
CMA CGM has also embarked on the green course. With the launch of the ‘CMA CGM Jacques Saadé’, in 2020 the French shipping group introduced the first LNG-powered mega-containership on the market. Ac- cording to CMA CGM, this is the only fuel to offer the
advantage of being immediately available while also having positive effects on air quality. By comparison with conventional propulsion, LNG eliminates 99 per- cent of sulphuric oxide emissions, 91 percent of fine-particle emissions and 92 percent of nitrogen emissions.
Nor should that be all: CMA CGM is using LNG simply as a provisional solution – en route to ‘green’ methane. The fleet is already being equipped to allow all vessels to be bunkered in future with biomethane, a 100 per- cent renewable source of energy, and e-methane, a carbon-free fuel. By 2024, forty-four should have been put into service.
Biomethane, produced by the methanization of agricul- tural operations or the direct exploitation of landfill gas, reduces exhaust gas emissions by at least a further 67 percent. E-methane, produced from decarbonized hy- drogen plus separated carbon dioxide, facilitates an even more distinct reduction of emissions, with poten- tial for carbon neutrality. To enable these fuels to be used as soon as possible, along with project partners CMA CGM is investing a great deal in research. “Just recently, we launched the first French project for pro- ducing bio-LNG. This is backed by the Energy of the Future coalition, and we are incorporating constantly growing quantities of biomethane in our energy mix,” confirmed the shipping group. ■ Lea Mentzel
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