Wärtsilä will supply methanol-fueled auxiliary engines for the French shipping company CMA CGM. The engines have been ordered for six 15,000 TEU container vessels which are being built at the Dalian Shipbuilding yard in China. The order was booked by Wärtsilä in Q2 2023.

The six container vessels will be the first CMA CGM vessels ordered to operate on methanol fuel. The choice of methanol is stated to be central to the company’s current decarbonization ambitions, as operating an engine on methanol produces fewer pollutants than diesel and can be produced from sustainable, renewable-based energy sources.

For each of the vessels, the full Wärtsilä scope includes three six-cylinder and one seven-cylinder Wärtsilä 32M engines fitted with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems.

The equipment is scheduled for delivery commencing in late 2024, and the vessel is expected to be delivered in autumn 2025.