CMA CGM has taken delivery of the 20,600 TEU CMA CGM ANTOINE DE SAINT EXUPERY.

According to CMA CGM, the vessel is the first in a series of three and is currently the largest container ship flying the French flag. It is 400 metres long and 59 metres wide – longer than four football fields and bigger than the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower.

The ship also bears the group’s new visual identity.

The CMA CGM ANTOINE DE SAINT EXUPERY features a Becker Twisted Fin which improves the propeller’s performance and reduces CO2 emissions by 4%. It also uses a new-generation engine which reduces oil consumption by 25% and CO2 emissions by 3%. A new system for the treatment of ballast water by filters and UV lamps allows cleared water to be rejected into the sea without impacting the marine ecosystem.

The ship is named after Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French aviator, writer and poet.

The new addition to the fleet will enter into service on February 6, 2018, operating the weekly French Asia Line 1 service which connects Asia with Northern Europe, according to CMA CGM.