HD Hyundai Samho has delivered the 13,000 TEU container ship CMA CGM Gold to CMA CGM, equipped with a hybrid version of the Lashing-Free system developed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and installed on part of the vessel. The system changes how containers are supported and secured above deck. Cell guides, normally used to keep container stacks aligned inside the holds, extend above deck and replace conventional lashing in the areas where they are installed. The shipbuilder combines these with removable structural supports, known as portable benches, which transfer the weight of the containers to the hull and can be handled using standard port cranes. The system also incorporates the Twistlock Rooting System, which secures containers stowed outside the areas covered by the guides to the ship's structure. One drawback is that the system increases above-deck weight by more than 10% compared with a conventional vessel of the same type, although this does not affect TEU capacity. Samho says it is already working on a next-generation version with improved watertightness.
According to HD Hyundai, sea trials conducted in September showed a marked reduction in vibrations compared with conventional arrangements using hatch covers and lashing bridges. This should reduce the risk of containers being lost at sea. The idea of extending cell guides above deck to eliminate conventional lashing is not new. In November 2022, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries developed a design without lashing bridges or hatch covers, using portable benches and extended cell guides. The design received approval from ABS and the Liberian Registry and drew on earlier hatchcoverless container ships operated by Nedlloyd, Matson and Norasia in the 1990s.
The CMA CGM Gold is 335 metres long and 51 metres wide, has a deadweight tonnage of 146,200 tonnes and sails under the Maltese flag. It is part of a series of twelve 13,000 TEU container ships equipped with dual-fuel engines capable of running on methanol, which CMA CGM is receiving from HD Hyundai Samho between 2025 and 2026.
