The CMA CGM group and SIPG Energy have successfully completed the first biometanol supply for the CMA CGM Osmium container ship at the Shengdong terminal in the Yangshan port in Shanghai. The operation, carried out on March 5 and 6, 2026, marks the first biometanol delivery by the French shipping company worldwide and sets a new national record as the largest individual biometanol supply made in a Chinese port, with a total volume of 3,643 tons.
The CMA CGM Osmium is a newly delivered container ship with a capacity of 13,000 TEUs and dual-fuel propulsion, ready to operate on both conventional fuels and biometanol. The vessel will soon be incorporated into the M2X service, which connects Asia with Mexico, one of the transpacific routes where CMA CGM has been deploying its new generation fleet capable of using alternative fuels.
Biometanol is a low-carbon intensity fuel produced from renewable biomass or residual sources. According to data provided by CMA CGM, this fuel offers a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over its life cycle of more than 65% compared to conventional marine fuels. Its use as a naval propulsion fuel aligns with the decarbonization strategies that the world's major shipping companies are adopting to meet the emission reduction targets set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The biometanol supplied to the CMA CGM Osmium was produced by Shanghai Electric Group at its Taonan facilities in China's Jilin province. The logistics of procurement, storage, and supply were handled by SIPG Energy, the energy subsidiary of the Shanghai port operator, which has been developing its capabilities in sustainable fuel supply for maritime transport.
Farid Trad, Vice President of Energy Transition at CMA CGM, noted that the biometanol supply to the CMA CGM Osmium represents a decisive moment in the company's decarbonization trajectory, and the operation demonstrates, in collaboration with SIPG Energy, that cleaner and lower-carbon maritime transport has ceased to be an aspiration and is now a reality. Trad added that this milestone strengthens the group's determination to work closely with its partners to accelerate the decarbonization of maritime transport.
For his part, Luo Wenbin, General Manager of SIPG Energy, indicated that the completion of the largest individual biometanol supply operation in China alongside CMA CGM represents a significant leap in the biometanol supply capacity of the Shanghai port. Wenbin pointed out that SIPG Energy will continue to develop its integrated capabilities in coordinating biometanol resources, storage and transport support, and supply services, with the aim of helping to transform the Shanghai port into a global center for sustainable energy supply for maritime transport.
The operation is part of CMA CGM's strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. As part of this commitment, the French shipping group plans to operate around 200 dual-fuel container ships by 2031, all capable of running on low-carbon intensity energy, including bio-LNG, e-LNG, biometanol, and e-methanol. CMA CGM's commitment to diversifying alternative fuel sources reflects the uncertainty that still surrounds the shipping sector regarding which energy solution will be predominant in the transition to decarbonized maritime transport, leading major shipping companies to keep several technological options open simultaneously.
The collaboration between CMA CGM and its Chinese partners SIPG Energy and Shanghai Electric Group is not new. The three entities maintain a long-term partnership in LNG supply that has laid the groundwork for expanding cooperation to the biometanol sector. CMA CGM previously signed a framework agreement for long-term biometanol supply, and the operation completed in Yangshan realizes the first tangible results of that strategic alliance.
Shanghai port, which leads the global rankings for container traffic, aims to establish itself as an international reference center for the supply of sustainable marine fuels. The biometanol operation carried out with the CMA CGM Osmium aligns with China's national objectives for sustainable maritime transport and low carbon emissions, contributing to positioning Yangshan as a hub capable of meeting the needs of shipping companies operating with alternative fuels on transpacific routes.
Methanol, both in its biological variant and in its production from green hydrogen (e-methanol), has become one of the most studied options by the shipping industry in recent years for the decarbonization of maritime transport, alongside LNG and ammonia. Shipping companies like Maersk, which was a pioneer in adopting methanol as fuel for its new generation container ships, and now CMA CGM are incorporating this technology into their fleets, generating an increasing demand for supply infrastructures in the world's major ports.