Container Rates Stall as Capacity Glut Offsets Hormuz Shock
Container spot freight rates on the main east-west trades largely flatlined this week as excess capacity and uneven demand failed to further spur recent pricing increases by carriers.
Mol Triumph, the world’s largest container ship, arrives at a loading terminal in the harbour of Hamburg, Germany May 15, 2017. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer
The MOL Triumph, one of the world’s biggest ships, docked at the port of Hamburg on Monday marking the arrival of the first 20,000 TEU ‘megaship’ in northern Europe.
The 20,170 TEU MOL Triumph, measuring 400m in length and almost 59m wide, was the first ship to break the 20,000 TEU mark when she was delivered by Samsung Heavy Industries back in March.

The MOL Triumph is deployed on the THE Alliance’s FE2 service, linking China and Southeast Asia with Northern Europe. The port of Hamburg marks MOL Triumph’s first stop in northern Europe and the final stop of the FE2 service’s westbound leg. Eastbound leg will include stops at Rotterdam, La Havre (France), Tangier (Morocco), Jebel Ali, Hong Kong and Qingdao (China).

Last week, MOL Triumph became the biggest ship to ever visit the UK when it called at the port of Southampton.

Upon her delivery in March 2017, the MOL Triumph briefly held the title as the world’s biggest containership by carrying capacity. However, that title has since been handed to the 20,568 TEU Madrid Maersk, delivered in April, and now the 21,413 TEU OOCL Hong Kong, which is the first ship to surpass 21,000 TEU.
The MOL Triumph is the first of six 20,000 TEU-class containerships on order by MOL.
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