CMA CGM has named its latest methanol-powered containership, CMA CGM Esmeralda, at a ceremony in Shanghai on 22 April.

The 15,000-teu ship was named by its godmother, Grace Chen, Director of Overseas Delivery Service and Customs Greater China at BASF (China) Co., Ltd. Captain Claudiu-Constantin Padurariu is the vessel’s master.

CMA CGM Esmeralda has now been deployed on the REX2 service, where it will contribute to the French container line’s Net Zero Carbon 2050 target.

REX2 is a liner service connecting East Asia, mainly China, with the Red Sea region, including ports such as Jeddah, Sokhna, and Aqaba.

As previously reported, last month, the French ocean carrier christened the 15,000-teu methanol-fuelled vessel CMA CGM Carmen. And in February, CMA CGM named the 13,000-teu dual-fuel methanol-powered container ship CMA CGM Osmium, which has been deployed on the company’s M2X service, operating on a loop between East Asia and Mexico.

Other recent additions include CMA CGM Thorium, which also operates on CMA CGM's M2X service, and the 15,000-teu CMA CGM Monte Cristo — named as the box carrier's 400th fully owned vessel.