The ship named CMA CGM Belem was launched four days ahead of schedule on January 29, 2024, at the Changxing Shipbuilding Base.

LNG-powered CMA CGM Belem has a total length of 336 meters and a width of 51 meters. It is equipped with a 14,000 cubic meter Mark III LNG cargo tank.

The ship is also equipped with the CMD-WinGD9X9DF-2.0 main engine and adopts an intelligent controlled exhaust gas recirculation (ICER) system, which can reduce methane escape in gas mode by an estimated 50% and curb greenhouse gas emissions by more than 28%.

This is the fifth unit in a series of six dual-fuel, LNG-powered containership ordered by CMA CGM in April 2021 under the $2.3 billion deal.

The fourth ship in the series, CMA CGM Bahia, was delivered in December 2023 while the construction of the sixth and final dual-fuel LNG-powered containership from the batch began in May 2023.

The French heavyweight returned to Chinese shipyards with a massive order worth $3.06 billion in April 2023 with a contract with the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) for the construction of 16 large container ships.

The order comprises twelve 15,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel and four 23,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessels.

The deal is part of CMA CGM’s decarbonization agenda which has seen over 77 ‘green’ ships ordered over the past ten years worth $10.2 billion. These vessels are predominantly LNG-powered and “e-methane ready” vessels of which 32 are already in operation.