CMA CGM's flagship 'Christophe Colomb', the world's largest French-flagged containership at 13,800TEU, was christened on July 12 in Le Havre, France.
The first of a series of eight vessels named after great explorers, this giant of the seas is the largest containership ever to sail under the French Flag.
The double-hulled vessel has a length of 365 metres, a beam of 51 metres and a range of 45,000 kilometres, and is fitted with an electronic injection engine, which significantly reduces bunker fuel and oil consumption.
The 'CMA CGM Christophe Colomb' will eventually be deployed on the FAL 5 (French Asia Line) service on the Asia-Europe trade, one of the world's largest container shipping markets. She will call at Ningbo, Shanghai, Yantian, Tanjung Pelepas, Port Kelang, Le Havre, Hamburg, Rotterdam and Zeebrugge.
The vessel was christened at a time when CMA CGM Group has confirmed a sharp recovery in its business since the beginning of the year. Over the first quarter of 2010, volumes carried rose 21 percent compared with the equivalent period last year, while EBITDA stood at US$380 million, up US$640 million year-on-year and in line with first-quarter 2008.