The French container carrier CMA CGM took delivery of the CMA CGM Loire and the CMA CGM Ural, the fifth and the sixth in a newbuild series of twenty-eight vessels of the 9,400 TEUs to 10,900 TEUs capacity.
The Danube, Elbe, Litani and Tigris are the first in this series of container ships named after famous rivers of the world.
Sailing under the Malta flag and chartered vessels, the Loire and Ural were built in the Chinese shipyards Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co., and New Times Shipbuildings, respectively.
The Loire has a nominal capacity of 9,365 TEUs and the Ural a 10,622 TEUs capacity.
300m in length and 48m in width, they were designed to fit the Bosphorus Strait.
The Loire was added to the ‘Bosphorous Express service, joining the Danube, Elbe and Litani.
She will call Dalian, Tianjin, Kwangyang, Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Chiwan, Yantian, Tanjung Pelepas, Izmit, Istambul Ambarli, Constanza, Odessa, Ilyichevsk, Port Said, Port Kelang, Singapore, and Dalian.
The Ural joined the Mediterranean Club Express. She will call Shanghai, Ningbao, Yantian, Chiwan, Port Kelang, Malta, Valencia, Barcelona, Fos sur Mer, Malta, Salalah, Port Kelang, Xiamen, and Shanghai.
The remaining twenty-three container ships are expected to be delivered throughout 2015 and the first three quarters of 2016.