Asia/Pacific News
CMA CGM Orders Electric Inland Container Barge for Nike Shipments
French container line CMA CGM has ordered an electric-powered inland container barge for the transport of Nike goods in Vietnam.
The vessel will be built by China's Shandong Xinneng Shipbuilding and will have a capacity of around 180 TEU, according to reports.
The barge will operate entirely on electric power along the 180-kilometre route between Vietnam's Binh Duong Province inland waterways and the Gemalink terminal, transporting Nike goods.
Scheduled for delivery next year, it will be powered by renewable electricity from a newly developed solar park at the Gemalink terminal.
"We applaud the CMA CGM Group's commitment to decarbonizing its maritime fleet and congratulate them on their latest step toward zero-emission shipping, Jonathan Butler, campaign manager at Pacific Environment, said in an emailed statement.
"Partnering with Nike to ship its goods on a fully electric barge is a small, yet powerful step towards decarbonization."
Last year, Nike and CMA CGM signed a deal to use biofuel bunker blends in more than a third of its shipments.
