VESSEL REVIEW | CMA CGM Sao Paulo – Dual-fuel capable boxship for CMA CGM's South America trade routes

The CMA CGM Group recently took delivery of a new containership constructed by China's state-owned Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding. CMA CGM Sao Paulo belongs to a series of six vessels designed by the 708 Research Institute of the China Shipbuilding Group.

Advanced emissions-reducing systems

The ship has an LOA of 336 metres (1,100 feet), a moulded beam of 51 metres (170 feet), a moulded depth of 26.8 metres (88 feet), and a capacity of 13,200 TEUs. A CMD-WinGD 9X9DF-2.0 dual-fuel main engine that can also run on LNG will deliver a service speed of 21 knots. LNG fuel will be stored in a tank with a capacity of 14,000 cubic metres (490,000 cubic feet) type III containment system.

An intelligent control by exhaust recycling (ICER) system can help reduce methane slip in gas mode by as much as 50 per cent and greenhouse gas emissions by 28 per cent. By cooling and recirculating the exhaust gas, the ICER system allows some of the methane in the exhaust gas to be re-combusted, thus further reducing the ship's emissions.

Exhaust gas recirculation is available in both gas and diesel modes. In gas mode, the required bleed fuel consumption remains constant over the entire load range.

The vessel has a prominent wind deflector at the bow. Hudong-Zhonghua said this unique feature can help lower fuel consumption over the same sailing distances by as much as four per cent. At the stern is an energy-saving deflector that can help the propeller become more efficient, thereby reducing both energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

CMA CGM Sao Paulo and its sister ships will be operated primarily on CMA CGM's South American routes. The remaining ships in the series will be delivered by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding before the end of this year in fulfilment of an order placed in April 2021.