Market sources report that French shipping giant CMA CGM has ordered six 3,100-TEU container ships from China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyard. The new vessels will have a total length of 199.9 meters, a beam of 35.2 meters, and a designed draft of 8.5 meters.
CMA CGM’s collaboration with China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyard in the newbuilding market began three years ago. In November 2023, CMA CGM placed an order with China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyard for two liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel ro-ro passenger vessels, with a total contract value of nearly 400 million euros. The vessels are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2027, marking CMA CGM’s first investment in the construction of ro-ro passenger vessels.
This project for six 3,100 TEU container ships marks another collaboration between CMA CGM and China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyard. As a shipyard that primarily builds high-end passenger-ro-ro and car-ro-ro vessels, this order holds special significance for China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyard.
It is understood that the last time China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyard undertook a container ship project was in 2025, when it received a joint order from Singapore-based East Pacific Shipping (EPS) and XT Shipping for four 3,160-TEU container ships. This marked the shipyard’s first container ship order in a decade.