Giant makes their debut in routine performances
The CMA CGM Mermaid, a colossal container ship with an approximate capacity of 14,000 TEUs, is making waves in the maritime world. However, its size, with a length of around 366 meters and a beam of about 51 meters, presents a challenge when it comes to navigating the Kiel Canal.
Traditionally, the Kiel Canal accommodates vessels with a maximum length of approximately 235 meters and a beam of 32.5 meters. Given these size limits, the CMA CGM Mermaid, which exceeds these dimensions, cannot directly transit the Kiel Canal.
While the CMA CGM Mermaid stands out as one of the larger ships globally, the Kiel Canal primarily caters to smaller feeder and regional ships rather than ultra-large container vessels like the Mermaid.
Despite this, the shipping company CMA CGM has agreed to regularly use the Kiel Canal on the way from Hamburg to the Baltic Sea. This decision indicates that the canal remains on their radar, despite past issues such as defective locks, a shortage of pilots, and too few tugboats.
The CMA CGM Mermaid is scheduled to pass through the Kiel Canal every two weeks, with the next passage scheduled for April 29. Interestingly, the ship underwent a test run through the canal this week, demonstrating its ability to navigate the waterway, albeit with some modifications. The ship requires only one tugboat to enter the Kiel Canal locks and can manage the canal passage without tugboats.
The CMA CGM Mermaid is part of the shipping company's recent expansion with large vessels. Six of these new container giants will be deployed in Northern Europe from 2025, with main ports being Hamburg, Bremerhaven, and Rotterdam. CMA CGM has ordered ten of these freighters, each costing $62 million, enabling the use of green fuels such as bio-LNG and green methanol.
The CMA CGM Mermaid was built in South Korea at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and was designed to fit a maximum of steel boxes on board. Despite its size, the Mermaid ranks third in the world fleet in terms of container capacity, with 3.66 million TEUs.
In summary, while the CMA CGM Mermaid's size exceeds the Kiel Canal's size limits, the shipping company has found a way to accommodate its regular passage through the canal. This decision underscores the importance of the Kiel Canal as a key transportation route for major shipping companies like CMA CGM.
The Kiel Canal, traditionally catering to smaller ships, presents a challenge for the colossal CMA CGM Mermaid, given its size that exceeds the canal's maximum length and beam. However, this colossal vessel, part of CMA CGM's recent expansion in technology and finance via large container ships, is scheduled to navigate the canal regularly, indicating the importance of the canal in the business and technology sectors.
