Wärtsilä has been chosen to supply dual‑fuel main engines for a new series of ultra-large container ships ordered by French operator CMA CGM, the equipment maker and the operator said via trade reporting on 6 October 2026.
MarineLink reported that Wärtsilä will deliver a total of 36 Wärtsilä 34DF dual fuel engines to power 12 new 18,000 TEU container vessels under construction at Jiangnan Shipyard in China.
Fleet and propulsion details
The contract covers Wärtsilä 34DF engines configured to operate on both liquid natural gas and conventional fuel, the report states. With 36 engines supplied for 12 units, the arrangement implies an average of three main engines per ship, a common configuration for large containerships of this scale.
Environmental intent
The vessels are specified to run on LNG, a fuel the parties say will contribute to reduced carbon and pollutant emissions compared with traditional heavy fuel oil. CMA CGM has positioned the order as part of its wider ambition to operate lower‑emission deep‑sea container ships.
Construction of the new ships is under way at Jiangnan Shipyard in the People’s Republic of China, where the series is being built to the 18,000 TEU capacity noted in the report. The yard name and the ship size were among the principal technical details disclosed alongside the engine supply announcement.
Wärtsilä 34DF engines are presented as dual‑fuel marine propulsion units capable of burning LNG, and the equipment maker’s involvement covers the full set of main engines reported for the newbuild programme. The supply package reported does not include separate details of delivery dates or commissioning schedules.
The contract illustrates the ongoing trend among shipowners to specify dual‑fuel propulsion for newbuild containerships where LNG bunkering infrastructure and regulatory drivers permit its use. CMA CGM’s decision to pair LNG‑capable engines with large, long‑range container ships reflects the operator’s stated strategy to lower operational emissions on major trade routes.
MarineLink’s account of the engine order and shipbuilding location provides the basis for this report. Neither company’s direct statements nor further commercial terms were reproduced in the trade summary supplied for verification.
The ship series and its propulsion choice will be watched by charterers, cargo interests and yards as operators continue to balance fuel availability, compliance with emissions rules and vessel economics. For now, the facts reported are limited to the number and type of engines, the number and nominal capacity of the vessels, the specified use of LNG and the choice of Jiangnan Shipyard as the builder.
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