The CMA CGM ELBE enters the CMA CGM fleet

Wednesday, October 15, 2014


• A vessel equipped with the latest environmental technologies
• Specifically designed for the Strait of the Bosphorus
• A high capacity in Reefer plugs

The CMA CGM Group is pleased to announce that the maiden voyage of the CMA CGM ELBE began on October, 14th, 2014 in Dalian (China).

The CMA CGM ELBE (9400 TEUs) is the second of a series of 28 vessels from 9400 TEUs to 10 900 TEUs, vessels which will be delivered from now to the third quarter of 2016. Last June, the Group received the delivery of the first vessel of this series: the CMA CGM DANUBE. Each vessel of this one-of-a-kind series will be named after a famous river of the world.


CMA CGM ELBE. Image by CMA CGM

Sailing under the Malta flag and chartered bareboat to CIMC, it is the second chartered ship of this class built at the Chinese construction site DSIC (Dalian PRC) and delivered to the Group.

300m in length and 48m in width, it was designed to offer maximal loading capacity while meeting the technical constraints necessitated by the Strait of the Bosphorus.

With a capacity of 1458 reefer plugs 40’, which is the largest so far on such a ship, the CMA CGM ELBE embodies the Group’s ambition to be a leader in this growing market.

Reefer containers maintain a temperature, a hygrometry and an atmosphere adapted to each product, offering container transportation flexibility and cold chain maintenance from the production to the delivery place.

Operated on one of the emblematic lines of the Group, the « Bosphorus Express », (BEX), the CMA CGM ELBE will offer direct service between Asia, Turkey and the Black Sea. Accordingly, it will call Dalian, Tianjin, Kwangyang, Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Chiwan, Yantian, Tanjung Pelepas, Izmit, Istambul Ambarli, Constanza, Odessa, Ilyichevsk, Port Said, Port Kelang, Singapore, and once again Dalian.

In line with the sustainable development policy of the Group, the CMA CGM ELBE is equipped with all the latest environmental technologies which significantly reduce its C02 emissions, as well as the Group’s carbon footprint. More particularly, it is equipped with new bulbous bow shapes improving the hydrodynamics of the vessel at a speed of 16 to18 knots...

As well as:
• An electronically controlled long stroke engine with an exhaust gas bypass system offering the best in fuel consumption
• A twisted leading edge rudder with bulb
• A ballast water treatment system


Image by CMA CGM

About CMA CGM
CMA CGM, founded and led by Jacques R. Saadé is the world’s third largest container shipping company and has a turnover of 15.9 billion USD in 2013. Operating a fleet of 430 vessels, the Group serves more than 400 ports around the world. In 2013, the Group carried 11.4 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). With a presence on every continent and in 150 countries through its network of 650 agencies and branch offices, the Group employs more than 18,000 people worldwide and 2,400 in its headquarter in Marseilles.

CMA CGM press release