World’s Largest LNG-Powered Container Ship Launched In Shanghai

The world’s largest LNG-powered container ship made its maiden call at the Shanghai Yangshan Port on May 22, 2026.

Sailing under the French Flag, it is the first in a series of 10 identical ships that CMA CGM will receive between 2026 and 2028.

Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of the Chinese state group CSSC, built the behemoth.

Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of CMA CGM, stated that the decision “reinforces France’s role as a global maritime power and reaffirms the group’s commitment to sustainability, innovation, and operational excellence.”

Scheduled to be named CMA CGM Notre Dame in July, the ship has a capacity of 24, 212 TEUs meaning it can carry over 24,000 standard containers in a single trip.

Of these, 1,600 are connections for refrigerated containers, needed for transporting perishable foods, medicines, and products that require controlled temperatures.

The ship has an intelligent energy management system to optimise consumption in refrigeration operations.

Coming to its physical dimensions, the ship is 400 m long, 62 m wide and 75 m high when docked at a port, resembling a 25-storey building floating on water.

It has an AI management system, digital navigation and smart tech to reduce onboard energy consumption.

The ship will enhance operational performance and support the company’s decarbonisation goals.

The ship’s most interesting feature is its 18,600 cubic meter liquefied natural gas tank, allowing it to complete a trip from Asia to Europe without refuelling LNG and eliminating potential delays.

It can operate with conventional fuel as well, giving it the flexibility in ports which do not have the LNG refuelling infrastructure.

When sailing on LNG, the ship decreases sulfur dioxide and fine particle emissions by 99%, nitrogen dioxide emissions by 85%, and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 20%, a performance that far exceeds international regulatory limits.

It will be deployed at CMA CGM’s French Asia Line (FAL), which serves as a connector between Asia and Northern Europe.

Situated at one of the world’s primary trade gateways, the line is vital for the supply chains of European countries.