Established figure makes frequent appearances
In a significant development for global shipping, the CMA CGM Mermaid, a 205-meter-long and 30-meter-wide container ship, has successfully navigated the Kiel Canal this week without any issues. This modern freighter, capable of handling the passage without a tugboat, is part of CMA CGM's fleet that is optimized for the dimensions of the Kiel Canal.
The Kiel Canal, located in Kiel, Germany, has experienced a decline in traffic due to defective locks, a shortage of pilots, and too few tugboats. However, authorities are making critical changes to the canal to accommodate larger container ships like the CMA CGM Mermaid and even bigger vessels. These changes include widening and deepening the canal to increase the maximum permissible beam and draft for vessels, as well as modernizing locks and infrastructure to handle larger vessels safely and efficiently.
Originally, the canal had strict size limits, with vessels up to about 320 meters in length, 42 meters in beam, and a draft around 10.5 meters able to pass. However, these limits, set decades ago, are being surpassed as global shipping continues to evolve. The CMA CGM Mermaid fits within the current limits, but the canal's ongoing upgrades aim to accommodate even larger container ships that are becoming standard in global shipping.
CMA CGM, a French shipping company based in Marseille, has been at the forefront of these developments. The company operates over 600 ships globally, ranking third in terms of container capacity with 3.66 million TEU. Acquiring these freighters, such as the Mermaid class delivered in 2024, enables the use of green fuels like bio-LNG and green methanol, aligning with CMA CGM's aim to be climate-neutral by 2050.
The CMA CGM Mermaid is expected to use the Kiel Canal every two weeks on its journey from Hamburg to the Baltic Sea. Four other ships are to be deployed in the Mediterranean by CMA CGM. Each of these new container giants, with a container capacity of over 2,000 standard containers (TEU), is scheduled to shuttle in Northern Europe from 2025, with main ports being Hamburg, Bremerhaven, and Rotterdam.
The next scheduled canal passage for the CMA CGM Mermaid is on April 29. However, it is worth noting that the ship will not fit through the Kiel Canal on its return journey due to a larger draft. Despite this, the upgrades to the Kiel Canal are critical to allow passage of the next generation of large container ships such as those in CMA CGM's fleet.
These developments mark a significant step forward in the evolution of global shipping, as the Kiel Canal continues to be a key waterway for major shipping companies like CMA CGM. The decline in traffic due to infrastructure issues is being addressed, paving the way for larger, more efficient ships to navigate the canal and contribute to the growth of global trade.
The upgrades to the Kiel Canal aim to accommodate not only larger container ships like the CMA CGM Mermaid, but also future vessels in the global shipping industry. CMA CGM, a leading player in the business and technology of shipping, is investing in new, more efficient ships that can carry over 2,000 containers (TEU), utilizing green fuels like bio-LNG and green methanol in alignment with their goal of being climate-neutral by 2050.
