Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore has completed classification work for the container ship CMA CGM Monte Cristo, the first in a series of six 15,000-teu methanol dual-fuel vessels built by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd. (DSIC) Tianjin for the CMA CGM Group.

The vessel was recently delivered and measures 366 metres in length, 51 metres in width, and 30.2 metres in depth, with a carrying capacity of 16,204 TEU. As a New Panamax-class container ship, it features optimised hull geometry, high-efficiency propellers and pre-swirl energy-saving devices. According to Bureau Veritas, these design features enable the ship to achieve an Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) more than 60% below the baseline.

The project represents the first major collaboration between Bureau Veritas and DSIC Tianjin on large green container ships and marks the introduction of methanol dual-fuel propulsion technology at the yard.

To support the project, Bureau Veritas assembled a multidisciplinary technical team. Specialists from the classification society’s headquarters assisted with shaft alignment calculations, while gas carrier experts provided on-site support for commissioning the fuel system and delivered training related to methanol fuel handling.

During sea trials, Bureau Veritas surveyors took part in tests of the vessel’s dual-fuel propulsion system. These included commissioning of the main engine in methanol mode, emissions monitoring, fuel switching procedures and verification of unmanned engine room operation. The main engine also completed its endurance test in methanol mode on the first attempt, supporting the vessel’s delivery schedule.

The ship forms part of Bureau Veritas’s involvement in the construction of methanol-powered vessels being developed within China State Shipbuilding Corporation.

Bureau Veritas and DSIC have collaborated on numerous shipbuilding projects across different vessel segments, including FPSOs, oil tankers, bulk carriers and container ships. In 2012, the two organisations jointly delivered several 9,200-teu container vessels for CMA CGM.