French container shipping giant CMA CGM has sent a new order of 12 LNG dual-fuel container vessels to South Korea’s shipyard HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.
The two companies signed a letter of intent (LoI) for a contract valued at around 3.9 trillion won (US$2.7 billion), which is the first order that the shipyard received in 2025. The estimated price per container ship exceeds US$220 million.
CMA CGM is closing in on Maersk and may overtake the Danish carrier in TEU capacity by the end of the year. Currently, the French shipping group operates a fleet with a total capacity of 3.86 million TEUs, compared to Maersk’s 4.47 million TEUs.
While CMA CGM’s current orderbook is larger than Maersk’s, it is not yet sufficient to bridge the gap. It will be fascinating to watch how this competition unfolds throughout 2025.
