CMA CGM Takes Delivery of France's Biggest Ship, the 20,600 TEU 'Antoine De Saint Exupery '

The CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupery container ship sits docked during its official inauguration in Le Havre, France September 6, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

French shipping group CMA CGM inaugurated its new flagship vessel CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupery this week in Le Havre, France.

At 400-meters long by 59-meter wide, the vessel has the capacity to carry 20,600 twenty-foot containers, making it the largest to sail under the French flag.

CMA CGM took delivery of the CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupery in January from Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction in Subic, Phillipinnes. She is the first three similar ships being built for the group.

The Group’s former flagship was the CMA CGM Bougainville, one of ultra large container vessels (UCLVs) with a capacity of around 18,000 TEU.

In addition to her size, the CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupery is impressive for her environmental technologies such as a Becker Twisted Fin, which helps reduce in CO2 emissions by as much as 4%, as well as an engine that CMA CGM says reduces fuel and oil consumption for an a 3% average reduction of CO2 emissions.

She also features a UV ballast water treatment system to stop the spread of invasive species through ballast water.

The name of the ship pays tribute to writer, poet and aviator, Antoine De Saint Exupery, whose well-known work, such as ‘Wind, Sand and Stars’, is known across the globe.