CMA CGM Group partners with Seaexplorer in the Vendée Globe 2020 race

To mark the start of the Vendée Globe 2020 race from Sables d’Olonne, the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, is partnering with Team Malizia and its Seaexplorer, which will be competing in the event.

A race to help tackle global warming and protect the oceans

Seaexplorer is taking part in the legendary nonstop unassisted round-the-world solo race. She is self-sufficient in energy terms since she is fitted with solar panels and hydroelectric generators to power the onboard systems. She is also equipped with an automated lab measuring oceanographic data, such as water temperature, salinity, pH and CO₂. Boris Herrmann, Seaexplorer’s skipper and the first German to compete in the race, will take automatic readings from water samples in the most remote parts of the oceans and communicate the data to scientists involved in programs at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Géomar in Kiel and Ifremer in Brest.

The partnership to help tackle global warming and protect the oceans accurately reflects the CMA CGM Group’s sustainability efforts, which has always considered its business performance as intrinsically linked to its social and environmental performance.

A constructive partnership accelerating the use of innovative solutions for the environment

For a number of years, the CMA CGM Group has been developing innovations based on the technologies used in ocean racing yachts to deliver a steady stream of advances in its fleet’s hydrodynamic performance and thus reduce its fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions.

In addition, as for all Vendée Globe competitors, adapting routes to weather, swell and current conditions holds the key to unlocking performance gains and keeping ships safe. CMA CGM has made this a priority by establishing three Fleet Centers. These unique facilities monitor in real time the 500 vessels in the Group’s fleet. They constantly adapt and adjust ships’ routes to keep them as safe as possible and reduce their fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions.

CMA CGM, a pioneer leading the energy transition in the shipping industry

CMA CGM has been firmly committed for several years to protecting the environment and reducing the size of its carbon footprint. Between 2005 and 2015, the Group cut its CO₂ emissions per container transported by 50% and aims to be carbon-neutral by 2050.

The Group is taking action today by employing the best solutions currently available. The CMA CGM Jacques Saadé, the Group’s new flagship, which joined the fleet in October, is now the world’s largest containership powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

CMA CGM has also taken a number of groundbreaking decisions:
Boris Herrmann, Seaexplorer’s skipper commented: “I’ve dreamt of taking part in the Vendée Globe race since I was a child and I’ve been preparing myself for it for years. I am honored to call CMA CGM a partner, since we share the same values and view for the future. CMA CGM is demonstrating this through its concrete initiatives to make the energy transition a reality and to work towards protecting the oceans.”

• The major decision not to use Northern Sea routes in order to protect the Arctic’s fragile and unique ecosystems
• In a world first, it uses next-generation biofuel, consisting of recycled vegetable-based oil and forest waste, to deliver an 80% reduction in CO₂ emissions over throughout the life cycle, and biofuel will account for 10% of its energy consumption by 2023
• The development of various cutting-edge environmentally friendly technologies to raise its fleet’s performance and cut its energy consumption: reprofiled bow shapes to achieve a better hydrodynamic performance, as well as propeller and engine innovations to cut fuel and oil consumption
• The creation of a Fleet Center monitoring the Group’s 500 vessels 24/7. This one-of-a-kind system in the shipping industry helps to optimize vessels’ routes (including by reducing their speed) and to achieve the best possible combination of operational efficiency, safety and fuel consumption/CO₂ emissions.