Bureau Veritas to class CMA CGM’s LNG fuelled ultra-large containerships

Paris-La Défense, France, November 08, 2017 – Bureau Veritas (BV) has been awarded the responsibility for classification of CMA CGM’s new 22,000 TEU containerships. The decision for the nine ships to be fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been carefully considered and Bureau Veritas has been closely involved in feasibility studies, working with the owner, builders and technology providers. 

Philippe Donche-Gay, President, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, commenting today, said: ‘This is a breakthrough order for gas fuelled shipping –both in scale and in the use of a membrane containment system. Bureau Veritas has been supporting the project throughout, providing assistance to ensure the requirements for the safe use of LNG are addressed.’

Philippe Donche-Gay, President, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore

The new ships will have a bunker capacity close to 18,000 cubic metres (cbm) and this represents a significantly higher volume than has been required in the LNG fuelled ship market. Bureau Veritas has investigated the feasibility of the design together with shipbuilding group China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and GTT, the containment system designer.

Jean-François Segretain, Bureau Veritas Marine Technical Director said: ‘AsCMA CGM have said, they will be the first shipping company in the world to equip giant containerships with LNG propulsion, pursuing a strong commitment to the protection of the environment and to ocean conservation. For us this is an exciting project to be involved in and our teams in China, supported by expertise in Paris, are looking forward to working on these innovative new ships.’ 

Says Segretain, ‘The award of class to Bureau Veritas further underlines Bureau Veritas leadership in the classification of LNG fuelled ships with, presently, the largest share of the orderbook for gas fuelled ships.’

ABOUT BUREAU VERITAS 

Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has more than 69,000 employees in around 1,400 offices and laboratories located all across the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its clients to improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure, and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility. Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the Next 20 index. 

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Martial Claudepierre
Global Technology Leader – LNG as fuel
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