CMA CGM books 12-unit-strong LNG dual-fuel containership fleet at HD KSOE

French container shipping and logistics major CMA CGM has ordered a dozen liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual fuel 18,000 TEU containerships in South Korea.

The boxships will be built by South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI), according to data provided by Intermodal.

Separately, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), of which HD HHI is an affiliate, confirmed the contract in a stock exchange filing. The order was placed by “a shipping company based in Europe” encompassing 12 ‘mega’ containerships, HD KSOE shared.

The contract has been valued at KRW 3.7 trillion (about $2.57 billion).

The newbuilds are slated for delivery by the end of December 2028, HD KSOE said.

Earlier this month, HD KSOE was cited by several local news outlets as saying that it aims to win over $18 billion worth of orders in 2025. The shipbuilding giant intends to achieve this target by focusing on eco-friendly and high-end vessels.

HD KSOE closed 2024 with $20.56 billion worth of orders secured.

CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest container shipping company, currently has 84 vessels with a combined capacity of 1.34 million TEU on order, Alphaliner’s TOP 100 list accessed on January 29, 2025, shows.

The newest order is understood to be part of the company’s fleet renewal program which is in line with CMA CGM’s target of achieving net zero carbon across all activities by 2050. It also shows that the French company continues to see the potential in LNG as an alternative shipping fuel.

In related news, CMA CGM recently took delivery of the final vessel in a series of ten LNG-powered 2,000 TEU ships built by HD KSOE’s affiliate HD Hyundai Mipo.