Maersk close to ordering first 18,000-TEUer

MAERSK Line, the world's largest container carrier, has reportedly signed the letters of intent with South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering for a series of world's first 18,000-TEU containerships.

The orders would amount to US$2 billion, said Lloyds List, but Korea Economic Daily reported that the shipbuilder would sign a $4 billion Maersk order for 20 vessels.

If realised, Maersk will possess the world's largest containership fleet featuring new propulsion systems and other technological enhancements that can produce half of the CO2 emission compared to current standard.

"Volumes will continue to grow and it of course makes sense to consider larger vessels due to economies of scale," said head of Maersk Line's vessel management Soren Andersen, reported London's Containerisation International.

"In our view, a key factor is the strong relationship between ship size and environmental performance. Much of this advantage can be attributed to the size of the ship. In our work to continuously improve our environmental performance and fuel efficiency, the size of the vessels we buy is definitely part of the equation," Mr Andersen continued.

Yet it has been said that port facilities worldwide may not be able to handle these super mega-size vessels. For example, ports like Antwerp and Hamburg even face difficulties handling super-postpanamax ships these days, said Containerisation International.
(Source:www.schednet.com)