Georg Forster News

CMA CGM Group has decided to postpone its project to deploy 18,000 TEU-capacity vessels on Transpacific market trade. The much-anticipated launch of a weekly service with six mega-ships which was planned for the end of May has been delayed  in order to optimise the use of its fleet. The decision also comes as the company is rolling out an alliance with China’s Cosco Group and other rivals. French container shipping major has now signed a deal with COSCO Container Lines, Evergreen Line and Orient Overseas Container Line on creation of a new alliance, dubbed the Ocean Alliance. Analysts say CMA CGM’s new partners would not have welcomed the addition of more capacity on a route where they’re already struggling to generate profits.

CMA CGM’s six 18,000 TEU vessels named after great explorers will be deployed on the trans-Pacific market and help to accelerate its growth, the container shipping company announced today. Beginning from the end of May 2016, the CMA CGM Group will deploy its flagship fleet of six 18,000 TEU vessels between Asia and the West coast of the U.S. on the Pearl River Express service. The six container vessels – CMA CGM Bougainville, CMA CGM Kerguelen, CMA CGM Georg Forster, CMA CGM Vasco de Gama…

French shipping giant CMA CGM, reported a 66.7% jump in net profit to $156m in the second quarter of 2015. The result compared to a $94m net profit in the same period a year earlier. The world’s third largest container line says that its unit costs fell 10.9 percent year on year, thanks to falling oil prices, reporting operating expenses during Q2 at $3.7 billion compared to $3.9 billion during the same period last year. Volumes carried during the second quarter increased 6.2 per cent year on year to 3.3 million TEU, compared to global market volume growth of one to two per cent. The improved profitability came despite a 2.1% fall in revenues to $4.11bn in Q2 2015, compared to $4.2bn in the same period a year earlier.

* Volumes carried during the second quarter increased by 6.2% year-on-year, to 3.3 million TEUs, compared to global market volume growth of between 1% and 2%. * Average revenue per container carried decreased by 7.8%. However, this decrease was significantly less than benchmark indices for the period due to the broad diversity of the Group's customers and lines. * Unit costs fell 10.9%, largely due to the sharp fall in oil prices. * Core EBIT surged 59.3% compared to the second quarter of 2014 to $325 million, as the Group’s lower unit costs outpaced the decline in average revenue per container carried. The core EBIT margin of 7.9% was once again significantly above peer averages. * Consolidated net profit group Share came to $156 million, up 66.7% on second-quarter 2014.

Container shipper CMA CGM said its vessel berthing and departures are back to normal with some expected delays following the August 12 explosions at the Port of Tianjin which killed more than 100 and injured hundreds more. CMA CGM said all of its crew members and local employees in Tianjin are safe and accounted for. All of CMA CGM’s terminals and off-dock depots in Tianjin are operating, but the shipper expects berth congestion, low productivity and longer port-stays to persist in Tianjin for the coming days. Compared with past few days, more trucks are now running inside the port area.

The CMA CGM Group’s largest vessel, CMA CGM Georg Forster, was christened today in Hamburg, Germany. The new ultra large vessel, a 398-meter-long, 18,000 TEU containership, is the second in a series of six vessels of the same size that will enter service for CMA CGM in 2015, joining the group’s fleet of 460 ships. The U.K. flagged Georg Forster was delivered to the CMA CGM Group on June 2 in South Korea, when she began her first rotation sailing the group’s French Asia Line (FAL).

The CMA CGM Group announced that the CMA CGM GEORG FORSTER called England for the first time on July 6th. With its 1,305 ft. (398m) length and 177 ft. (54m) width, the CMA CGM GEORG FORSTER not only is, with her sistership the CMA CGM KERGUELEN, the CMA CGM Group’s largest containership, but it is also the largest UK flag vessel sailing the seas. This gigantic vessel has a 18,000 TEUs (twenty feet equivalent) capacity: all containers placed together would totalize the distance between London and Southampton.

The 18,000 TEU capacity containership the CMA CGM Georg Forster was delivered to the CMA CGM Group on June, 2 in South Korea. With its 1,305 ft. (398m) length and 177 ft. (54m) width, the CMA CGM Georg Forster is the group’s second 18,000 TEU capacity vessel to be delivered. Six vessels will compose this series of vessels named after great explorers, that will have  the CMA CGM Group’s largest containership capacity. This gigantic vessel has a 18,000 TEU (twenty feet equivalent) capacity. All containers placed together would totalize around the distance between Hamburg and Hanover.