The CMA CGM Notre Dame, the world’s largest LNG-powered container ship, has completed its first call at the Port of Rotterdam, where it also received its first supply of European-produced bio-LNG.
The milestone comes just days after the vessel was officially named in Le Havre on 2 July and marks the start of its deployment on CMA CGM’s French Asia Line 3 (FAL3) service.
Flying the French flag, the 24,212-TEU vessel is currently the largest container ship in the French fleet. Measuring nearly 400 metres in length with a 61-metre beam, it is the first of ten next-generation ships that will all operate under the French flag.
As part of its Asia-Europe rotation, the ship will connect major ports including Hamburg, Antwerp, Tanger Med, Port Klang and Ningbo, strengthening trade links between Europe and Asia.
During its stop in Rotterdam, the vessel was bunkered with bio-LNG produced in Europe from organic agricultural and agri-food waste. According to the Port of Rotterdam, this renewable fuel can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by at least 67% compared with conventional marine fuels.
LNG is a cleaner alternative for the shipping industry, reducing emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter as well as reducing carbon emissions.
The bunkering operation was carried out by TotalEnergies’ Gas Agility, a vessel well known in the LNG bunkering sector. It previously supplied fuel to the CMA CGM Jacques Saade in 2020, when that ship became the world’s largest LNG-powered container vessel.
Rotterdam continues to strengthen its position as one of Europe’s leading marine fuel hubs, supplying around 10 million tonnes of bunker fuel each year.
The gradual move towards lower-carbon marine fuels continues, with the port handling 649,466 tonnes of bio-blended fuels and 9.06 million tonnes of conventional fossil fuels in 2025, with 17,644 cubic metres of bio-blended LNG out of 992,911 cubic metres of LNG handled.
Toon Pierré, General Manager of the Benelux cluster of CMA CGM, says that the arrival of the CMA CGM Notre Dame shows the close relationship between the shipping company and the Port of Rotterdam. He added that both partners share the ambition of building a more efficient, innovative and sustainable maritime industry while continuing to provide customers with reliable global shipping connections.
