Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller first ever visit
In the last weeks of August, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller made its first ever visit to Northern Europe. It will not be the last, with more and more Triple-E vessels phasing into service on the busy Asia-Europe route. But the first is always special, and thousands of people took the time to meet the vessel along the way to the five port calls in Northern Europe: Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Gdansk, Aarhus and Gothenburg.
A crowd of more than 6,000 people welcomed the ship on its first call in the Netherlands. They were lined up in summer weather on the beach outside of the port of Rotterdam, and were treated to music and speeches while Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller entered local waters accompanied by fireworks, a traditional nautical salute and a myriad of smaller boats.
Thousands were also present in Poland to see the ship arrive. During the visit, the citizens of Gdansk were treated to exhibitions all over town about the Triple-E and global shipping. In Aarhus, Denmark, a marine helicopter was part of the official lineup marking the first visit.
Image Credit: Maersk
Customer events
Special attention was given to a selection of Maersk Line’s customers in the different ports. On the beach in Gdansk, hundreds of customers were treated to a special event. “Welcoming the vessel was a unique experience,” says Mira Roszkiewicz, Logistics Import Manager at Castorama in Poland, adding that “Triple-E is economy with poetry.”
In Rotterdam, representatives from companies such as Heineken, Fyffes and Philip Morris boarded a small vessel to meet the Triple-E on the water. And in Scandinavia, visitors from IKEA, Volvo, Jysk and others were quite impressed with the event and the innovative features of the vessel.
Shipping manager at Danish Crown, Mads Mahler, who attended the event in Aarhus, says: “If Maersk Line didn’t invest in vessels like Triple-E, it would probably mean that the activity in the port would cease over time and that we could not benefit from a direct service to Asia. This would mean not only more expensive freights, but also longer transit time.”
Image Credit: Maersk
Guest appearance in Copenhagen
The Mærsk Mc-Kinney called Port Tangiers, Morroco, on 5 September, and will soon be out of European waters on its way back to Asia. The last port call on the maiden voyage is Singapore on 27 September, after which the vessel will head back to Korea to do the same rotation once again.
For the public in Denmark, however, a special treat is planned as the second vessel in the Triple-E series makes a once-in-a-lifetime guest appearance to Copenhagen. For a full week, from 23 September, the vessel will be on display inCopenhagenharbour for the viewing pleasure of shipping fans big and small
Source:worldslargestship
Read more about the maiden voyage of Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller in Northern Europe in the following Safety4Sea articles
