French shipper CMA CGM has announced this week that it has taken delivery of a new vessel, the group's first 13,300 TEU container ship named 'Christophe Colomb'.
The company's new flagship is one of the largest container ships in the world, CMA CGM said, at 365m in length, 51.2m in width and with a draft of 15.5m.
Operating on the Asia-Europe trade line alongside nine Maersk Line ships, the vessel started its rotation in Shanghai on 11 November and will make calls at Ningbo, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Yantian, Algeciras, Rotterdam and Bremerhaven.
'This new giant of the seas is a strategic asset for CMA CGM while volumes and freight rates in the Asia to Europe market are recovering,' said Nicolas Sartini, senior vice-president for Asia-Europe lines at CMA CGM. 'Thanks to its size and equipment, this modern and competitive vessel enables the group to meet its growing customer demand on this key market while ensuring economies of scale.'
