TotalEnergies, CMA CGM join on Rotterdam LNG bunker venture

France-headquartered oil major TotalEnergies and French container line CMA CGM Group are entering a 50-50 joint venture agreement to develop and operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering platform in the Port of Rotterdam.

The companies said the joint venture aims to deploy, by the end of 2028, a 20,000-m³ LNG bunker vessel to supply fuel to CMA CGM vessels and other carriers operating in the area.

"The joint venture will leverage TotalEnergies’ existing logistics assets in the ARA region, where the 18,600-m³ bunker vessel Gas Agility has been in operation since 2020. By integrating the joint venture’s future bunker vessel into the existing Gas Agility facility, the partnership aims to generate synergies, improve delivery flexibility and strengthen operational efficiency across the region," a statement from the companies said.

Under a multi-year agreement, TotalEnergies will supply up to 360,000 tonnes of LNG annually to CMA CGM from 2028 to 2040. The deal aims to support the expansion of CMA-CGM’s dual-fuel fleet, which the company said will hit 123 vessels by 2029. 

TotalEnergies chief executive Patrick Pouyanné called LNG "the most mature and readily available solution to reduce the environmental footprint of maritime transport". And CMA CGM chief executive Rodolphe Saadé claimed the joint venture was an industry-first agreement in Rotterdam involving a shipowner and an energy company.

LNG reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by about 20% compared with marine fuel oil, cuts nitrogen oxide emissions by 85%, and eliminates 99% of sulphur and fine particle emissions. Additional gains are possible through the use of bioLNG and synthetic LNG. However, the fuel’s use also releases methane, a powerful short-term GHG that has a multiplier of about 28 times the warming impact of carbon dioxide. 

The new joint venture between TotalEnergies and CMA CGM is based on a long-standing collaboration between the two companies, which includes multiple LNG supply and bunkering agreements starting in 2017, covering ports such as Rotterdam, Marseille-Fos, and Dunkirk. 

TotalEnergies said the deal strengthens its position as the world’s third-largest LNG player, with 40M tonnes sold in 2024 and an ambition to grow its production and long-term purchases by 50% by 2030.