France’s CMA CGM is lining up another round of ultra-large containerships as part of its fleet expansion push, with industry sources pointing to a fresh deal in China.
Shipbrokers said the Marseille-headquartered carrier has signed a letter of intent with Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co (DSIC), part of China State Shipbuilding Corp, covering six firm plus four optional LNG dual-fuel 22,000 teu vessels.
No official pricing has been divulged, but recent orders for similar dual-fuel units of around $220m apiece suggest CMA CGM’s deal will total in the region of $2.1bn.
CMA CGM already operates more than 680 ships with around 4m teu capacity, which will be boosted by an additional 1.5m teu in the coming years, consisting of over 100 low-carbon newbuilds.
If confirmed, the DSIC deal would mark CMA CGM’s third major newbuilding commitment this year. Earlier in 2025, the Rodolphe Saad-led line ordered a dozen 18,000 teu LNG dual-fuel ships at CSSC Jiangnan Shipyard for around $2.5bn, alongside another $2.6bn order for 12 similar-sized ships at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.