CMA CGM, OOCL, ONE Roll Out Next-Gen Containerships

New Generation of Boxships Enters Service

As the industry’s record containership orderbook continues to be delivered, three major carriers have reached notable milestones with vessels built around alternative fuels and digital efficiency systems. According to a report by Maritime Executive, CMA CGM, Ocean Network Express (ONE), and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) each introduced new ships in early July, underscoring how quickly next-generation technology is reshaping the container trades.

CMA CGM Notre Dame Enters French Fleet

CMA CGM held a naming ceremony in Le Havre on July 2, welcoming the CMA CGM Notre Dame after its maiden voyage from Asia. The carrier describes the vessel as the industry’s largest LNG-powered containership and the biggest ship ever to sail under the French flag. Stretching 399 meters, the ship carries a nominal capacity of 24,212 TEU thanks to its container-stowage design, and it is the lead vessel in a series of 10 sister ships.

Beyond its size, the Notre Dame is fitted with AI-based systems, digital navigation tools, and voyage-optimization technology intended to boost fuel efficiency and cut environmental impact in real time. CMA CGM says the newbuild program tied to this class supports its French operations directly, with plans to hire 135 French seafarers over the next two years. The carrier’s French-flagged fleet is expected to grow from 30 to 40 ships by 2028. As the world’s third-largest container line, CMA CGM operates more than 700 vessels and moved over 24 million TEU last year. The Notre Dame will sail a 102-day rotation linking China, Singapore, Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Tangier Med.

OOCL Wisdom Bunkers Green Methanol in Qingdao

At China’s Qingdao Port, OOCL completed the first green methanol bunkering operation for its new OOCL Wisdom on July 3, just ahead of the ship’s maiden voyage. The vessel, described as the largest dual-fuel methanol containership currently in service, took on 1,500 metric tons of green methanol along with 3,000 TEU of cargo. With a deadweight of 225,000 tons and total capacity of 21,168 TEU, the OOCL Wisdom is the first of seven sister vessels that OOCL plans to deploy on its Asia–Northern Europe service to improve efficiency and reduce emissions on that route.

ONE Launches Mid-Sized S-Series

Ocean Network Express is rolling out its own new class of mid-sized containerships, branded the S-Series. The lead vessel, ONE Simplicity (160,200 dwt), was delivered at the end of March, followed shortly after by sister ship ONE Solidarity, which has already departed on its first voyage on ONE’s Mediterranean Pacific South route.

Built by Imabari Shipbuilding in Japan, the 336-meter S-Series ships are designed with future fuel flexibility in mind, allowing eventual conversion to methanol or ammonia and the potential addition of CO2 capture equipment. The shipyard says it optimized the hull form for the vessels’ typical operating speed and draft, while energy-saving features such as a twist rudder, low-friction hull coatings, and a bow wind cover further improve fuel efficiency. Each vessel also carries a hybrid exhaust gas cleaning system, an exhaust gas recirculation system, and a ballast water treatment system.

A Fleet in Transition

Together, these deliveries illustrate how quickly carriers are diversifying their fuel strategies — LNG, green methanol, and future-ready dual-fuel designs — while layering in digital tools for voyage optimization. As more of these complex, technically advanced vessels enter service, owners and charterers will increasingly rely on independent inspections to verify fuel quality, bunker quantities, and vessel condition across diverse propulsion systems. Apeks Marine’s bunker survey and condition survey services are built to support exactly this kind of due diligence as fleets transition to new fuels and technologies.

Reviewed by Ibrahim Halil Ceylan, Marine Surveyor at Apeks Marine.