Madrid Maersk, the Latest World’s Biggest Containership, Enters Service in China
The latest ultra-large container vessel (ULCV) to wear the crown for the title of the ‘world’s largest containership’, and one of the first vessels to surpass the 20,000 mark, has entered into service with its maiden port call in China.
Maersk Line confirmed Tuesday that on 27 April 2017, Madrid Maersk, a 20,568 TEU containership and the first of Maersk Lines’ 2nd generation Triple-E, called the Port of Tianjin in China. This was the first port on its maiden voyage as part of Maersk Lines’ Asia – Europe service network.
Delivered in April, Madrid Maersk is the first of eleven 2nd generation Triple-E vessels which Maersk Line ordered in 2015 from South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME). Its arrival comes four years after delivery of the first Triple-E vessel, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, which was the first ship to surpass the 18,000 TEU benchmark and set the standard for today’s ULCVs.
Although the 2nd generation Triple-E’s are built to nearly the same dimensions as the first, at 399 meters long, the new Triple-E’s are made to be 7% more efficient, with the ability to carry 2,000 more containers than their predecessors.
First of 27 Newbuilds
Not only is the Madrid Maersk notable for its size, but also it is also the first of the 27 ships to be delivered to Maersk Line by the end of next year. Prior to its delivery, Maersk Line has not taken delivery of any new ships since July 2015.
Maersk Line’s remaining orderbook consists of ten 2nd generation Triple-E vessels, nine 15,226 TEU, and seven 3,596 TEU container vessels. The new vessels will replace older and less efficient tonnage as they enter service. Maersk Line says the orderbook corresponds to 11% of its current fleet – a relatively small ratio compared to the industry’s average orderbook of around 15%....MUCH MORE
