Maersk Line: Make it twenty Triple-E’s

Today, Maersk Line announced that it has exercised its option with South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding (DSME) for ten additional “Triple-E” class 18,000 TEU containerships.  In February, Maersk announced the purchase of its first 10 record breaking vessels.

Maersk’s ‘Triple-E’ class will set new standards in economy of scale, energy efficiency and environmentally improved containerships.  Four-hundred meters long, 59 meters wide and 73 meters high, the Triple-E will be the largest vessel today with 18,000 TEU capacity, 16 percent greater (2,500 containers) than today’s largest container vessel, Emma Maersk.

The Triple-E will produce 20 percent less CO2 per container moved compared to Emma Maersk and 50 percent less than the industry average on the Asia-Europe trade lane. The Triple-E vessels will consume approximately 35 percent less fuel per container than the 13,100 TEU vessels being delivered to other container shipping lines in the next few years, also for Asia-Europe service.

Maersk contract includes an option for an additional 10 vessels, but does not plan on exercising the option.

The first 10 vessels will be delivered 2013 and 2014; the second 10 vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2014 and 2015.