Captain Emmanuel Delran first met the late Jacques Saade 25 years ago. He was looking for a job as a young seafaring cadet at the time, but was ­unaware he was talking to the founder of France’s leading liner company.

Today, the 47-year-old Frenchman has been given command of the 23,000-teu CMA CGM Jacques Saade (built 2020) — the flagship of the fleet.