The CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions has announced the arrival of CMA CGM SCANDOLA at the MPS terminal at the port of Tema, as the Group’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered containership to call a port in Ghana.

CMA CGM SCANDOLA will continue its voyage and sail to Lekki’s new Deep Sea Port in Nigeria, before calling the port of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. At 15,000-TEU, the containership also ranks amongst the largest vessels to be calling in West Africa.

By deploying this “biomethane and e-methane ready” containership, the CMA CGM Group has demonstrated once again its commitment to support West Africa’s supply chains by increasing deployed capacity, as well as the Group’s role as a pioneer to decarbonize Shipping and Logistics’ in the region and worldwide.

Supporting Ghana and West Africa’s supply chains through state-of-the-art vessels and infrastructure

CMA CGM SCANDOLA sailed on CMA CGM’s West Africa Express (WAX) service connecting West Africa (Tema, Lekki, Abidjan, Pointe-Noire) directly to China, South-East Asia and India.

CMA CGM is also strengthening the WAX service to support customers with high capacity vessels and by adding calls at the ports of Tema, Ghana, and Pointe Noire, Republic of the Congo.

WAX also calls the new Lekki Freeport Terminal, a new generation of multi-user container terminal.

CMA CGM Group, a pioneer in Shipping and Logistics’ decarbonization committed to reach Net Zero-Carbon by 2050

Dual-fuel gas powered vessels such as the CMA CGM SCANDOLA currently run on LNG, improving air quality by avoiding up to 99% of sulphur emission, 92% of nitrogen oxide emission and 91% of particulate matter. Thus, once supply is available, these ships will be capable of using BioLNG (liquefied biomethane produced from biowaste), and e-methane (synthetic-methane produced from decarbonized hydrogen), a source of carbon-neutral fuel.

The Group invested close to $15 billion in decarbonizing its fleet. CMA CGM is currently operating 35 dual-fuel LNG-powered containerships and will have almost 120 vessels capable of being powered by decarbonized fuels by 2028.

A pioneer in the use of LNG as a transition energy, the CMA CGM Group has also launched several large industrial partnerships to diversify its sourcing with even more decarbonized fuels. In September 2022, Rodolphe Saadé announced the creation of PULSE, CMA CGM Energy Fund, with a $1.5 billion budget over 5 years to accelerate the decarbonization of all the sea, land, air transportation and logistics activities worldwide. In 2023, the CMA CGM Group reduced its CO₂ emissions by around -1 million tons.

CMA CGM, offering customers in Ghana and West Africa best maritime and logistics solutions

The CMA CGM Group has been operating in Ghana for over 17 years, with currently two offices in Tema and Accra, and over 50 staff members.

The Group offers five mainline services calling the ports of Tema and Accra, connecting major global destinations with a state-of-the-art intermodal network through CEVA Logistics. Ghana is a strategic country for the CMA CGM Group in West Africa.

The Group supports Ghanaian exporters and offers its customers the best maritime and logistics solutions by providing ship consignment and transport services for key commodities such as cocoa, cashew nuts, cotton, rubber and fruit (mango-banana-pineapple).

Stéphane Courquin, Head of CMA CGM Africa said "The deployment of this new generation vessel on our WAX service from Asia to West Africa and from West Africa to Asia marks a new stage in our partnership with our customers, local authorities and partners. We are determined to continue to support the immense potential of African logistics, paving the way for a dynamic and growing economy and proud to initiate the energy transition."

Led by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions, serves more than 420 ports around the world across 5 continents, with a fleet of around 621 vessels.

The Group transported 21.7 million TEU containers (twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2022. With its subsidiary CEVA Logistics, a global logistics player which transported 522,000 tonnes of air cargo and more than 22 million shipments of inland freight, and its air cargo division CMA CGM AIR CARGO, the CMA CGM Group is constantly innovating to provide customers a comprehensive and increasingly efficient offering, thanks to new shipping, inland, air freight and logistics solutions.