CMA CGM Plans to Order 12 24,000 TEU Container Ships from Yangzijiang Shipbuilding

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 16, shipping market information showed that French shipping group CMA CGM is advancing a new round of ultra-large container ship ordering plans, intending to order 12 24,000 TEU-class container ships from China's Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, with the project's potential total value approaching US$3 billion. The project is currently reported to be at the letter of intent signing stage, but neither CMA CGM nor Yangzijiang Shipbuilding has officially confirmed the shipbuilding contract.

The 12 new ships planned for order are expected to adopt LNG dual-fuel propulsion systems and are scheduled for delivery between 2029 and 2030. Current market estimates put the cost per ship at approximately US$245 million to US$250 million, based on which the total contract scale for the 12 ships would be approximately US$2.94 billion to US$3 billion. The above prices remain market estimates and are not the final contract amounts officially disclosed by the shipowner or the shipyard.

If the contract is ultimately signed, it will continue the previous 24,000 TEU-class LNG dual-fuel ship cooperation between CMA CGM and Yangzijiang Shipbuilding. In 2023, CMA CGM already ordered 10 24,212 TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships from Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, of which the first ship, CMA CGM Notre Dame, was delivered in May 2026, the second, CMA CGM Pantheon, was delivered in July, and the remaining 8 are scheduled for continued delivery through March 2028.

The existing series of ships is approximately 400 meters long and is mainly deployed on Asia-Europe trunk routes. If the additional 12 ships of the same class are ultimately confirmed, CMA CGM's large LNG dual-fuel container ship fleet will further expand, forming a continuous multi-batch ultra-large fleet renewal plan.

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding currently still maintains a relatively high order backlog. Public information shows that the company entered the second half of 2026 with orders for 256 ships, with a total value of approximately US$22.4 billion, including 151 container ships; as of that time, 9 ships from the existing CMA CGM 24,000 TEU series were still included in the shipyard's order book. The company secured approximately US$1.75 billion in new orders in the first half of 2026, obtained another approximately US$200 million in orders in July, and has a full-year order target of US$4.5 billion.

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding's 2029 delivery slots are nearly fully booked, and it has begun accepting projects for 2030 delivery. If the 12 ships are ultimately signed under a formal contract, they are expected to mainly occupy 2029-2030 delivery slots.