CMA CGM Group took delivery on August,16th, in South Korea of the CMA CGM CORTE REAL (13,830 teu) built by DSME (Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering), the third of a series of eight vessels named after the great explorers.

CMA CGM CORTE REAL with her impressive dimensions (365 meter long, 51,2 meter large and 15.5 meter draught) is up to date the largest vessel sailing under the UK flag, a European flag which is part of the white list of the 'Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control' a guarantee of safety, security and environmental protection.

The vessel will join the CMA CGM CHRISTOPHE COLOMB AND CMA CGM AMERIGO VESPUCCI on the FAL5 service (French Asia Line) linking Asia to North Europe. Launched in early July, the FAL 5 service has extended the Group's range of shipping solutions on this trade. Today, CMA CGM offers 14 services between Asia and Europe, the third largest market in the world.

These large capacity vessels allow the CMA CGM Group to meet the growing volumes on this market that has been showing a strong recovery over the last months ' registering a 20%* growth Westbound between Asia and North Europe for the first semester 2010 compared to the same period last year and a 9%* growth Eastbound.'

'With this new 13,800-TEU vessel, CMA CGM Group continues to develop a state of the art fleet allying modernity and competitiveness and allowing us to meet our customers' demand on the Asia-Europe market.', explains Nicolas Sartini, Senior Vice President Asia / Europe Lines, CMA CGM Group.

In compliance with CMA CGM's environmental policy, CMA CGM CORTE REAL is one of the first vessels of the Group to receive the new Bureau Veritas classification notation Clean Ship C, confirming its environmental performance. The vessel is also equipped with innovative environmental-friendly features such as:

  • An electronically controlled engine, reducing oil and fuel consumption and enabling the vessel to be operated at eco-speed,
  • Double-hull protected bunker tanks, in compliance with the MARPOL 12A regulation,
  • The pioneering Fast Oil Recovery System, which enables bunkers to be rapidly recovered at any time, hence significantly limiting the environmental consequences should there be an incident at sea.

The CMA CGM CORTE REAL will start its rotation on August 17th in Ningbo before calling Shanghai, Yantian, Tanjung Pelepas, Port Klang, Le Havre, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Port Klang and Singapore.