The CMA CGM Group is pleased to announce that the CMA CGM ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT, second of the world's largest and state of the art containership’s series, began its first voyage on Friday, April 19th in Pusan, South Korea.

Built by DSME (Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering) in South Korea, this giant of the seas, owned by CMA CGM, displays exceptional dimensions: 396 meters long, 54 meters wide, with a draft of 16 meters and sails under the UK flag. In line with the sustainable development policy of the Group, the CMA CGM ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT is equipped with all the latest environmental technologies.

The CMA CGM ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT is the second of a series of three 16 000 TEU vessels, all to be named after great explorers. The delivery of the third vessel of the series, the CMA CGM JULES VERNE, which will sail under the French flag, is expected at the beginning of May 2013.

The CMA CGM ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT will be christened, Tuesday 30th May 2013 in Hamburg, in presence of her godmother, Dr. Dorothee Stapelfeldt, Second Mayor of Hamburg, Mr. Olaf Scholz, Mayor of Hamburg and Mr. Jacques R. Saadé, CMA CGM Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer .

Operated on the emblematic line of the Group, the « French Asia Line » (FAL 1), the CMA CGM ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT will call at Pusan (19 April), Qingdao (21 April), Ningbo (24 April), Shanghai (26 April), Xiamen (29 April), Hong Kong (30 April), Chiwan (1 May), Yantian (2 May), Port Kelang (6 May), Suez (19 May), Tanger (23 May), Southampton (27 May), Hamburg (29 May), Bremerhaven (31 May), Rotterdam (2 June), Zeebrugge (3 June), Le Havre (5 June), Malta (11 June), Suez (14 June), Khor Al Fakkan (22 June), Jebel Ali (24 June), Port Kelang (3 July) and Ningbo (10 July).

The FAL1 operates the largest vessels of the CMA CGM fleet and offers its customers a fixed-day, weekly connection between Central and South China, the main exporting zones of the country, and Northern Europe.