Methanol-fueled CMA CGM Argon joins French liner’s expanding 13,000 TEU fleet

French shipping heavyweight CMA CGM has taken delivery of the future-proof CMA CGM Argon, the following unit in a 13,000 TEU container vessel series the company booked at South Korean shipbuilding major HD Hyundai.

As disclosed, the Malta-flagged newbuilding, which was constructed by HD Hyundai Samho, was handed over to its owner on May 15 at a ceremony held in South Korea.

The 335-meter-long and 51-meter-wide vessel is part of the firm’s green fleet powered by methanol, a clean fuel that is projected to be able to reduce sulfur oxides by 99%, nitrogen oxides by 80%, and carbon emissions by 25% compared to conventional energy sources. The containership is also part of a 12-unit strong order that CMA CGM placed back in February 2023 in a deal valued at KRW 2.52 trillion ($2 billion).

The inaugural newbuild of the dual-fuel methanol-powered boxships, the CMA CGM Iron, was handed over in early March this year and was gearing up to be deployed for the company’s CIMEX1 service, which connects Asia to the Middle East Gulf region.

The remainder of the vessels—all named after elements from Mendeleev’s periodic table, namely CMA CGM Cobalt, Platinum, Mercury, Helium, Krypton, Thorium, Osmium, Silver, Copper and Gold—are anticipated to be delivered throughout 2025 and 2026.

As understood, CMA CGM presently operates more than 650 ships, with a combined capacity of 23,6 million TEU.

In April this year, the Marseille-based maritime transportation player welcomed the final newbuild in a series of ten 5,500 TEU boxships, which were constructed by Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding, part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).

That same month, the company also added the 24,000 TEU CMA CGM Seine, the inaugural unit out of four booked at China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, to the roster. The vessel, featuring a dual-fuel propulsion system, was said to be a ‘big’ step in the company’s efforts to build an ‘efficient and sustainable’ fleet.

By the end of December next year, CMA CGM is expected to ring the welcome bell to a dozen liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled 18,000 TEU container vessels. These were commissioned at the end of January 2025. The contract, valued at around $2.57 billion, was signed with South Korea’s shipbuilder HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE).