CMA CGM to Retrofit 10 More Bulbous Bows

The CMA CGM Group said it will retrofit 10 of its vessels’ bulbous bows to achieve improved energy efficiency for slow steaming. The modifications are in addition to the 15 CMA CGM ships that have already been retrofitted in 2013 and 2014.

The bulbous bows exchanges, to be performed within a week in repair yards’ drydocks, will reduce the ship’s fuel consumption and cut CO2 emissions by improving the ships’ wave resistance and hydrodynamic efficiency.

They bows were initially designed for 24 knots sailing speed, but following the implementation of the slow steaming, the group’s vessels now sail at speeds between 16-18 knots. Bulbous bows have therefore been redesigned in cooperation with Hydrocéan, a French engineering company specialized in hydrodynamics and which performed the hydrodynamic calculations.

All vessels that have entered the CMA CGM fleet in 2014 are sailing with optimized bulbous bows.

With this optimization, the CMA CGM Group reinforces its environmental commitment, the company said, adding that its objective of 50% CO2/TEU-km reduction between 2005 and 2015 is on good tracks to be reached. According to CMA CGM, the group has reduced its CO2/TEU-km emissions by 40% since 2005.