CMA CGM FIGARO Makes Maiden call in LA

The largest CMA CGM containership ever to call at a U.S. port, the 8,500-TEU* CMA CGM FIGARO, arrived today in Los Angeles on its maiden voyage in the Bohai Rim service linking China and the U.S. West Coast. The vessel will leave on July 1 for , before crossing the Pacific for , Tianjin Xingang, and in .

“The FIGARO and other large vessels in our fleet are critical strategic assets in the supply chains of our customers, particularly now as Asia-U.S. trade continues to grow and capacity remains constrained due to the recent economic downturn. Thanks to its size and equipment, this vessel will meet growing customer demand and ensure cost-savings due to economies of scale, while meeting our Group’s environmental goals,” said Jean-Philippe Thenoz, Senior Vice President North American Lines, CMA CGM Group.

The CMA CGM FIGARO is equipped with a combination of innovative environmental features, including:

             a new Fast Oil Recovery System that would significantly limit environmental impact should there be an incident at sea;

             an electronically controlled engine, reducing oil and fuel consumption by 25% and 3%, respectively, while allowing the vessel to operate at super eco-speed of 14 to 15 knots;

             pre-equipment to connect to on-shore electric power during dock-side operations.

“CMA CGM is to be congratulated for the state-of-the art environmental technologies being used aboard the FIGARO and many other CMA CGM vessels,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. “It’s this kind of forward-thinking by our shipping partners that allows the Port to continue to grow responsibly.”