CMA CGM to Purchase Biomethane Fuel to Help Reduce Well-to-Wake CO2 Emissions

French shipping line CMA CGM says it will purchase 12,000 tonnes of biomethane fuel as part of the company’s plan of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

That’s enough biomethane to power two 1,400 TEU LNG-powered ships for an entire year on the intra-European service, according to the company.

Biomethane is a renewable “green gas” that will be produced, in part, by the methanation of European-sourced organic and plant waste, providing a “circular economy” benefiting the agricultural sector, according to CMA CGM. The fuel will come with a “guarantee-of-origin” providing proof to customers of the origin of electricity generated from renewable energy sources. Customers will be able to chose biomethane as an option to help reduce their CO2 emissions.

“Guarantee-of-Origin Biomethane, coupled with CMA CGM’s dual-fuel gas-power technology, can reduce well-to-wake (entire value chain) greenhouse gas emissions (including CO₂) by at least 67%,” CMA CGM said in a statement. “On a tank-to-wake basis (at ship level), the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions reaches 88% (including CO₂).”

CMA CGM says that by supporting biomethane production, it is accelerating its commitment to leading the energy transition in the shipping sector. In 2020, the shipping group reports that it cut its overall CO2 emissions by 4%, following a 6% reduction in 2019. Since 2008, CMA CGM has lowered its CO2 emissions per container-kilometer by 49%.

“”We have crossed a new step with the launch of the first low-carbon shipping offer based on biomethane,” said Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group. ” We know that there is still a long way to go to meet the commitments of the Paris Agreement. Achieving these goals do not rely on a single solution but on a set of initiatives and new technologies complimentary to each other.”

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