French liner operator CMA CGM has claimed a new world record for the most containers carried on a single vessel.
The company said its 23,112-teu, LNG-fuelled CMA CGM Jacques Saade (built 2020) had loaded 21,433 teu when it left Singapore on 8 April.
The Jacques Saade had claimed the previous record at 20,723 full containers in October.
This was the first time a boxship has carried more than 20,000 teu.
Beating its own record
The record holder before that was South Korean owner HMM's 23,964-teu HMM Algeciras (built 2020), which loaded 19,621 teu in Asia in May.
The Jacques Saade also became the largest boxship to conduct ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operations in Asia on 8 April, taking on 6,801 cbm.
The world's biggest LNG-fuelled container vessel is now en route to Europe on the FAL 1 service, carrying household goods, electronic items, machinery and personal protection equipment.
"The current deployed fleet of LNG-powered vessels demonstrate the CMA CGM Group’s commitment to energy transition in the shipping industry," the containership operator said.
More LNG vessels coming
The company added that LNG is part of its ambitious objective of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
CMA CGM will have 32 LNG-fuelled vessels by the end of 2022.
The giant CMA CGM Jaques Saade was delivered in September from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) in Shanghai.
Boxships commonly carry less than their nameplate capacity due to cargo weight and safety requirements.
HMM said on 7 April that it has carried full loads on its new 24,000-teu fleet of vessels on 36 out of 37 voyages since April 2020.
