- Thanks to this innovative system, auxiliary engine emissions from vessels at berth can be eliminated, thereby improving air quality and reducing noise pollution
- With these new facilities, the CMA CGM Group and the Port of Dunkirk confirm their unwavering commitment to environmental protection

© Jean-Louis Burnod

During a ceremony held today at the Port of Dunkirk, the APL SINGAPURA, a container ship belonging to CMA CGM, inaugurated the cold ironing facilities at the Port of Dunkirk’s Terminal des Flandres. Notable participants included Eric Etienne, Dunkirk's deputy prefect, Xavier Bertrand, President of the Hauts-de-France Regional Council, Patrice Vergriete, President of the Urban Community of Dunkirk, Christine Cabau Woehrel, CMA CGM Group Executive Vice President in charge of Industrial Assets, Stéphane Raison, Chairman of the Port of Dunkirk Executive Board, Nicolas Sartini, Chief Executive Officer of CEVA Logistics, and Gérard Mulliez, founder of Auchan, who is the first customer of the Port of Dunkirk through the group’s family-owned companies.

Cold ironing, a technology that provides an effective way of protecting the environment

By plugging into an onshore electricity supply (also known as "cold ironing"), container ships calling at port can shut down their auxiliary engines while still getting the power they need, particularly in order to maintain controlled temperatures in refrigerated containers ("Reefers").

This innovative technology has significant environmental benefits, including:

- Zero emissions of sulphur and nitrogen oxides and fine particles while ships are at berth;
- Significantly reduced noise pollution.

A resolute commitment in favour of more eco-friendly port infrastructure

The cold ironing system installed at the Terminal des Flandres will become fully operational during the first half of 2020. By undertaking this ambitious operation, the Port of Dunkirk and CMA CGM are confirming their determination to protect the environment.

ACTEMIUM, a consortium of two companies (Brest and Boulogne) was selected to carry out the works. These included the design and supply of a cold ironing system that fits into six 40-foot containers, converting the public electricity supply for use by ships at port. With capacity of 8 MW ­– enough to power nearly 1,000 homes – this system is one of the most powerful ever to be installed in Europe.

The operation was co-financed by the Urban Community of Dunkirk, the Hauts-de-France region (via the European Regional Development Fund), and the Port of Dunkirk. The CMA CGM Group covered the cost of the equipment needed to connect the vessel, in line with its efforts to support energy transition in the shipping industry.

Christine Cabau Woehrel, Executive Vice President in charge of Industrial Assets – CMA CGM Group, commented: “Given CMA CGM's steadfast commitment to installing more environmentally responsible solutions on board its vessels, the Group supports cold ironing and we will continue to equip our fleet accordingly. We are ready to test this system with other European port authorities that are committed to using cold ironing at their container ship terminals, as the Port of Dunkirk has successfully done.”

Stéphane Raison, Chairman of the Port of Dunkirk Executive Board, added: “Our decision to develop this particularly innovative solution allowing container ships to plug into onshore power at the Terminal des Flandres is in line with the pro-active environmental policy that the Port of Dunkirk has been pursuing for many years.”

About CMA CGM

Led by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group is a world leader in shipping and logistics.

Its 506 vessels serve more than 420 ports on five continents around the world and carried nearly 21 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2018. With CEVA, a world leader in logistics services, CMA CGM handled more than 500,000 tons of airfreight and 1.9 million tons of inland freight in 2018.

CMA CGM is constantly innovating to offer customers new maritime, inland and logistics solutions.

Present on every continent and in 160 countries through its network of 755 offices and 750 warehouses, the Group employs 110,000 people worldwide, of which 2,400 in Marseille where its head office is located.