Carbon-neutral by 2050: CMA CGM to support production of 12,000 tonnes of biomethane

• The group is heavily investing in research and development to identify the energy sources of the future.
  

April 09, 2021: The CMA CGM Group has reached another milestone in its efforts to be carbon-neutral by 2050, by supporting the production of 12,000 tonnes of biomethane (equivalent to a year’s fuel consumption of two 1,400-TEU ships). Biomethane is a renewable green gas produced in part by the methanation of European-sourced organic and plant waste.

Ahead of the UN Global Compact and as part of the first high-level preparatory talks for the Climate Change Conference (COP26 summit), Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group has put forward solutions that are immediately available and that contribute to achieving the group’s objective of being carbon-neutral by 2050.

Saadé declared, “We have crossed a new step with the launch of the first low-carbon shipping offer based on biomethane. We know that there is still a long way to go to meet the commitments of the Paris Agreement. Achieving these goals does not rely on a single solution but on a set of initiatives and new technologies complimentary to each other.”

CMA CGM intends to push ahead with the development of this energy source by investing in biomethane production facilities and studying the viability of liquefaction processes so that biomethane can be rolled out as a shipping fuel.

By supporting biomethane production, CMA CGM is accelerating its commitment to leading the energy transition in the shipping sector. The Group cut its overall CO2 emissions by 4 percent in 2020, following a 6 percent reduction in 2019. Since 2008, the group has lowered its CO2 emissions per container-kilometre by 49 percent.

12,000 tonnes of guarantee-of-origin (GO) biomethane is enough to fuel the equivalent of two 1,400-TEU LNG-powered ships operating on the Northern European Balt3 line between St Petersburg and Rotterdam for a whole year.

GO Biomethane, coupled with CMA CGM’s dual-fuel gas-power technology, can reduce well-to-wake (entire value chain) greenhouse gas emissions (including CO2) by at least 67 percent. On a tank-to-wake basis (at ship level), the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions reaches 88 percent (including CO2).

As of May 2021, the Group’s customers will be able to select biomethane via the Act with CMA CGM+ range of services, paving the way for a substantial reduction in the environmental impact of the shipping of their goods.

ACT with CMA CGM+ provides a full range of services designed to enable its customers to analyse, reduce and offset their environmental footprint. CMA CGM will continue to embrace the latest technological advances to meet the needs of its customers.

The CMA CGM Group is heavily investing in research and development alongside its industrial partners to identify the energy sources of the future with the aim of achieving a positive impact on our customers’ carbon footprint and helping to protect the environment.