CMA CGM to upgrade with seven new biogas-fuelled ships

CMA CGM, has announced the rollout of seven new containerships powered by biogas to enhance services to the French West Indies.

Delivered gradually from 2024, the seven new ships – four 7,300 teu vessels and three 7,900 teu vessels, each with 1,385 reefer plugs – will serve Guadeloupe and Martinique, replacing smaller ships.

In order to cope with these larger capacity vessels, CMA CGM said it will help to modernise and increase the capacity of the biggest shipping ports in Guadeloupe and Martinique, as well as making wharfs larger. Fort de France and Pointe à Pitre, central hubs of the Caribbean and South America, will be the starting point for transhipments to Guyana, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy and northeast Brazil.

CMA CGM transports 100% of the bananas from the French West Indies, or Antilles, to France. Guadeloupe and Martinique are overseas departments of France, the country with the most time zones in the world, with territories stretching from the Caribbean to the Pacific.