Exactly 199,90 meters long, 38 meters wide, and up to 20 knots fast—and it has only been sailing the seas since the end of December last year—these are the basic data for the latest "offspring" of the French CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions. We are talking about the CMA CGM Indianapolis, which moored in Bremerhaven for the first time on its maiden voyage on Friday and stayed for a few days.
Background: The car carrier, whose belly can accommodate around 7,000 cars on 12 flexible decks, is not only at the BLG Car Terminal Bremerhaven for unloading but has also celebrated another premiere in the Kaiserhafen: The first LNG bunkering was on the program in Bremerhaven for the RoRo ship, which is equipped with an LNG hybrid drive, using a corresponding tanker from the company Gasum.
The first call of the CMA CGM Indianapolis, coming from Immingham and stopping off in Bremerhaven on its way to Singapore, was celebrated today directly at the quay with an official plaque handover from the BLG to the captain of the RoRo ship. This traditional exchange of plaques between the city and the ship originates from the cruise industry and expresses the bond between the ship and the city. The small celebration directly at the CMA CGM Indianapolis had the same background today.
Mirja Nibbe, Managing Director of CMA CGM Germany, commented: "We are delighted to mark this, the maiden call' of the CMA CGM INDIANAPOLIS to Bremerhaven. We have a long established and highly valued relationship with bremenports, and we look forward to building our market in this new cargo segment with one of Europe's leading transhipment ports for rolling cargo.
The Senator for Economics, Ports, and Transformation, Kristina Vogt, says: "With the arrival of the 'CMA CGM Indianapolis' in Bremerhaven and the LNG bunkering in Kaiserhafen, we are once again demonstrating the good cooperation between the local authorities in order to make new things, such as the refueling of ships with liquefied natural gas, possible without any problems. At the same time, we are consolidating our position as a leading transhipment port for roll-on/roll-off transport. It is a practical example of how we in Bremerhaven are actively helping to make the maritime industry and shipping as a whole more sustainable. We are pursuing the clear goal of transforming the overseas port into a low-emission "CO2 neutral port" by 2035."
In Bremerhaven, meanwhile, CMA CGM has long been a reliable partner and customer of the ports of Bremen, so far primarily in the container sector. BLG Board member Matthias Magnor is certain that this positive experience will now also continue in the RoRo sector. CMA CGA entered this segment last year: "With over 1.7 million vehicles handled per year, the Bremerhaven car terminal is one of the largest automotive hubs in the world. We are delighted that we have been able to impress with our expertise and services and that we will be able to welcome CMA CGM to Bremerhaven on a regular basis in the future."
Mirja Nibbe, Managing Director of CMA CGM Germany, added: "The "CMA CGM Indianapolis" is our first LNG-powered car carrier and underlines our commitment to achieve a net-zero emissions footprint by 2050. Our strategy to reduce our carbon footprint includes modernizing our facilities and optimizing our sea and land operations and infrastructure to increase energy efficiency. As a pioneer in the use of LNG ships, we already ordered corresponding ships in 2017 and started using biofuels in 2019. This enabled us to reduce our CO2 emissions by 1 million metric tons last year.
Bremenports Managing Director Robert Howe is also delighted about the first call of the new ship: "Last year, CMA CGM won the Green Focus Award of the ports of Bremen in two categories: the lowest-emission fleet overall and the lowest-emission ship that moored at Stromkaje in 2023. The fact that CMA CGM is now also consistently relying on a type of propulsion for the "Indianapolis" that releases far fewer air pollutants than conventional diesel ships is a very good sign and confirms that we are on our way to becoming a low-emission, CO2-neutral port."
Jacob Granqvist, Vice President Maritime at Gasum: "Our goal is to ensure our customers have access to clean energy and to help them drive the energy transition and continuously reduce their emissions. The use of LNG leads to a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions, the complete elimination of sulfur oxides (SOx) and particulates, and up to an 85% reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. This means cleaner air in Bremerhaven and all other ports that the "CMA CGM Indianapolis" will call at."
Info: The CMA CGM Indianapolis is the first of four identical RoRo ships that will be traveling for CMA CGM in the future. The three other sister ships are scheduled for delivery in 2024. The French group, which has primarily called at Bremerhaven with container ships to date, entered the car carrier segment last year. With a length of almost 200 meters and a width of 38 meters, the new CMA CGM Indianapolis has the capacity to transport around 7,000 cars on a total of 12 decks. The RoRo ship's hybrid drive system comprises both an LNG and an electric drive with battery technology and is equipped with two 2000-cubic-meter LNG tanks, which have now been filled directly in the Kaiserhafen using a bunker vessel.
