Expect more sightings of colossal ships on the Asia-Europe trade lane, as box shipping giant Maersk Line formalized on June 2 an order for 11 ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) set for delivery in the next two years.
Valued at US$1.8 billion, the newbuilding contract was signed by Soren Skou, CEO of Denmark’s Maersk Line, and Sung-Leep Jung, president and CEO of Seoul-headquartered shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in a ceremony at the shipping firm’s headquarters in Copenhagen.
The order calls for 11 second-generation Triple-E container vessels with a capacity of 19,630 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), with the option to order six more of the same.
“The new vessels will be the largest in Maersk Line’s fleet and are intended for the Asia-Europe service. The vessels will replace smaller, less efficient vessels,” said an emailed Maersk Line statement.
The newbuilds will be about 400 meters long and 58.6 meters wide, and have a draft of 16.5 meters.
“I am very happy with this order. These vessels will help us stay competitive in the Asia-Europe trade and will be key in our strategy to grow with the market. It is the second order this year and we expect to order more vessels, which we can add to our fleet from 2017 and onwards,” said Soren Toft, chief operating officer of Maersk Line.
Earlier this year, Maersk Line ordered seven 3,600-TEU feeder vessels as the first step in its ongoing investment program. Over the coming five years, it plans to invest $15 billion in newbuildings, retrofitting, containers, and other equipment.
“Maersk Line will thus be able to maintain the necessary capacity to grow with global demand as well as replace less efficient tonnage,” said the statement.
In 2011, Maersk Line also ordered from DSME its 20 pioneering first-generation Triple-E vessels of 18,000-TEU capacity. The last two from the batch will be delivered this month.
The 11 new vessels will join the company fleet between April 2017 and May 2018, sailing under Danish flag.
DSME and Maersk Line are working on amplifying the features of the original Triple-E vessels—efficiency, economy of scale and environmentally improved—in the new vessels, as well as on raising energy efficiency, said Toft.
Maersk Line is the world’s largest container shipping company. As of May 2015, its fleet consists of 255 owned vessels with a capacity of 1.7-million TEUs, and 346 chartered vessels with a total capacity of 1.3 million TEUs.
As of June 2, its orderbook corresponds to 400,000 TEUs, or about 13% of Maersk Line’s current fleet. In addition to the two Triple-E vessels for delivery in 2015, seven Baltic feeder vessels for delivery in 2017, and eleven 19,000 vessels for delivery in 2017-18, the company is also awaiting delivery of 11 chartered 9,500- to 10,000-TEU chartered vessels between 2015 and 2016.
