CMA CGM

CMA CGM Starts Upgrades of 100 Vessels at Damen to Improve Efficiency

French shipping giant CMA CGM is the latest to plan upgrades applying a range of technologies to help it improve the efficiency of its ships. Damen Shipyards Group reports it has reached an agreement for a long-term cooperation that will result in significant modifications to around 100 of CMA CGM’s vessels, including several of the newest in the fleet. Faced with increasing environmental regulations and financial pressures, shipowners are pursuing near-term upgrades to their in-service ship designs to help meet the first-tier industry goals for reduced emissions. Analysts believe that through the use of the available improvements to ships and technology such as routing and voyage planning systems the shipping industry will be able to meet the IMO’s goals for a 30 percent reduction in emissions by 2030. Damen highlights that up until now CMA CGM has been using shipyards in China and occasionally the Middle East. This project calls for the upgrades to take place at Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque and Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam, marking the first time CMA CGM will use European yards for complex modifications. A key part of the project will be the installation of…

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Maersk Says “Not Yet” for Return to Red Sea Routing

Three months after starting to divert all its vessels from a passage through the Red Sea, Maersk told customers today that it is too soon in its assessment to resume its normal routes. They said the routing around Africa allows the best supply chain stability, in their assessment, saying that a switch is complex and they wanted to make sure it would be sustained over the long term and avoid further disruption. They write that they are aware that Operation Aspides has taken shape and welcome it as a positive development along with the U.S.-led efforts. Maersk writes that they are also in “continuous dialogue” and monitoring developments in the region. “Regretfully, both our internal analysis, as well as insight we received from external sources, still indicates that the risk level in the region remains elevated,” they wrote in their latest customer alert. Maersk vessels were targeted by the Houthi on two different occasions in December leading the carrier to first suspend, then resume, and then suspend again transits through the region around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Maersk Gibraltar had a near-miss incident on December 14 leading to the…

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