The world’s largest-diameter containership propeller was loaded onto a ship at the Port of Hamburg this weekend bound for a South Korean shipyard from it’s German manufacturer.
The five-bladed propeller is believed to be largest-diameter containership propeller in the world, measuring 10.3 meters in diameter and weighing in at 113 tons.
The propeller was manufactured by Mecklenburger Metallguss GmbH in Waren, Germany and was shipped over-the-road to Hamburg in February, where it was then temporally stored.
A statement from the Port of Hamburg said that on Saturday at around noon the floating crane ‘HHLA IV’ lifted the giant propeller into the belly of the 13,000 TEU Hyundai Together at the HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder.
The Hyundai Together then departed Sunday for its journey to a South Korean shipyard, where the propeller will be installed and used to provide thrust for an (unidentified) 18,000 TEU containership featuring a 85,000-h.p. engine, according to the port’s statement.
More Big Propellers:
Emma Maersk Propeller
For comparison, the Emma Maersk is equipped a single 9.6 meter diameter propeller that with 6 blades weighs in at a whopping 131.4 tons.
Triple-E Propeller
Triple-E’s meanwhile are equipped with two lighter 10 meter diameter propellers, each with just four blades and weighing only 70 tons.
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South Korean shipping companies SK Shipping Co. and H-Line Shipping Co. — both owned by private equity firm Hahn & Co. — will swap tankers and contracts to create one of the world’s largest operators of liquefied natural gas carriers.