CMA CGM has joined forces with energy giant Shell to run its massive fleet of boxships off of bunker made partially of used cooking oil.

The French liner behemoth will acquire "tens of thousands of tons" of the second-generation biofuel from the English company in "a large-scale partnership", the Rodolphe Saade-led owner said.

"This quantity, which is unique in the industry, will allow the Group's ships to travel nearly 1 million kilometers, equivalent to over 80 round-trips between Rotterdam and New York," CMA CGM said.