CMA CGM and Edison hit LNG bunkering milestone in Italy

Italian energy company Edison and French shipping giant CMA CGM have completed the first ship-to-ship (STS) LNG bunkering of a containership in Italy.

The milestone operation was conducted in the port of Trieste, where Edison’s 30,000 cubic meter LNG carrier Ravenna Knutsen refueled the CMA CGM Salamanque, an LNG-powered boxship deployed in the Mediterranean.

Said to contribute to the gradual spread of LNG-powered fleets in Italian ports, the collaboration follows Edison’s inaugural LNG bunkering operation in the Adriatic for a cruise ship in 2024.

As part of its efforts to adopt alternative low-carbon maritime fuels, CMA CGM is operating a large fleet of dual-fuel LNG-powered containerships and has been able to achieve carbon emissions reductions of up to 85%.

“The first bunkering of a container ship in the Adriatic demonstrates the extreme operational flexibility achieved by Edison in recent years and its ability to open new market segments in Italy,” said Fabrizio Mattana, Executive Vice President of Gas Assets at Edison.

“We are proud of this achievement and see great potential in this sector, where the next step will be the growing contribution of BioGNL. The excellent collaboration with the Coast Guard of Trieste and the relevant authorities in the Adriatic Sea is certainly accelerating market development in this area.”