Geneva-based shipping giant MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) is about to acquire the industry’s first 23,000 TEU container ships, under an order set in September 2017.
South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries had confirmed the order of eleven mega container ships at that time, originally reported as 22,000 TEU class. Under the deal, SHI is to construct six of the eleven ships, while Daewoo Shipping Marine Engineering (DSME) will construct the five remainder.
In a recent statement, the German engine builder MAN Diesel and Turbo informed that the ship order is about eleven 23,000 TEU vessels, the largest in the industry, and MAN secured the main and auxiliary engines supply order:
G-type engines’ longer stroke results in a lower rpm for the engine driving the propeller. This lower optimum engine speed allows the use of a larger propeller and is, ultimately, significantly more efficient in terms of engine propulsion. Together with an optimised engine design, this means that the MSC newbuildings will enjoy a reduced fuel consumption and reduced CO2 emissions.
The final vessel in the series is due for delivery by March 15, 2020.
Meanwhile, French shipping major CMA CGM has also signed for the construction of nine 22,000-TEUs container ships at two Chinese shipyards, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, both part of the Chinese state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation. The vessels are scheduled for delivery from the end of 2019 into 2020.
Currently, Hong-Kong based OOCL is the owner of the world’s largest container ship: The 21,413 TEU ‘OOCL Hong Kong’, launched in 2017, was the first container ship to exceed 21,000 TEUs and is part of a series of six 21,413 OOCL boxships. The last one, OOCL Indonesia, was launched in January 2018.
