The CMA CGM Notre Dame, described by its owner as the largest LNG-powered container ship in the world, completed its maiden call at the Port of Rotterdam on 8 July, during which it was bunkered with bio-LNG produced in Europe for the first time.

The vessel, which was christened in Le Havre on 2 July, is a dual-fuel container ship with an LNG tank capacity of 18,600 cbm. With a capacity of 24,212 TEU — including 1,600 reefer container slots — a length of approximately 400 metres and a beam of 61 metres, the Notre Dame is also the largest container ship sailing under the French flag, according to CMA CGM.

The bio-LNG bunkered during the Rotterdam call was sourced from organic waste originating from the agricultural and agri-food sectors and produced within Europe. In addition to conventional LNG and bio-LNG, the vessel is also said to be capable of running on synthetic fuels such as e-methane in the future.

Toon Pierré, General Manager of the Benelux cluster at CMA CGM, commented: "We are proud to welcome the CMA CGM Notre Dame to Rotterdam. This port call reflects the strength of our long-standing partnership with the Port of Rotterdam and our shared commitment to a more efficient, innovative and sustainable maritime sector, while continuing to support our clients with world-class connections."

In terms of trailing 12-month (TTM) bunker sales data, Rotterdam is currently the world's second-largest bunkering port with a posted volume of 9.21 million tonnes in Q1 2026. The port stated that it is committed to a future of multi-fuel bunkering, with the aim of making shipping more sustainable and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

The Notre Dame is the first in a series of ten container ships named after French monuments, with deliveries scheduled between 2026 and 2028. The vessel will be deployed on the French Asia Line (FAL), a liner service connecting Asia and Europe, with a rotation of approximately 102 days calling at ports including Ningbo, Shanghai, Yantian, Singapore, Le Havre, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Tanger Med.