CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest shipping line, has chosen HAROPA – Port of Le Havre to inaugurate its new flagship CMA CGM Bougainville in the presence of French president François Hollande and Jacques Saadé, Founder and CEO of CMA CGM.
The CMA CGM Bougainville is the world’s biggest container vessel under the French flag at a massive 400 metres long, which is the equivalent of four football fields end to end, and 54 metres broad.
The ship can carry up to 18,000 containers, which is the same length as the circumference of the Paris ring road three times.
François Hollande said: “Greater Paris is connected to the sea by Le Havre and that is how we can equip our country with this maritime dimension. We want to get a major route between Paris and Le Havre through transport infrastructure and investments in port structures.”
Jacques Saadé said: “Half our French calls are made at Le Havre of which we are the largest trading customer.”
The event confirms that HAROPA and the port system of the ports of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris, are sustainably included in the logistics schedules of the world shipping leaders.
As the leading container port for the external trade of France, HAROPA posted an increase in container traffic by 4% in 2014 to 2.5 million TEU.
Its port facilities – and especially Port 2000 in Le Havre – make it the only port on the northern range with Rotterdam – to be capable of accommodating the biggest containerships fully laden twenty-four hours, seven days a week.
The CMA CGM Bougainville will call every 88 days at the Port of Le Havre. It is positioned from Le Havre on the French Asia Line (FAL1), the flagship service of the company connecting the Asia and North Europe markets.
CMA CGM recently announced that the Bougainville ship has been equipped with TRAXENS technology in order to make it a 'smart ship'. It is the first ship in the world to be equipped with this technology.
The vessel provides the group’s customers with a weekly connection between HAROPA and Central and South China (the main exporting zones of the country).
