By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) - It seems the ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) that have become the ‘new normal’ on the Asia-Europe tradelane have not proved as popular as the lines that operate them hoped. Several shippers The Loadstar spoke to at Transport Logistic in Munich last week could not hide their aversion to the ocean behemoths – and it appears the insurance … [Read more...]
Captain George Livingstone: Super-Size Me
By Captain George Livingstone - Super-size doesn’t just refer to Hamburgers and Fries, since the arrival of the container ship Emma Maersk in 2006, the definition of big in the maritime world changed and continues to as Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCV) just keep getting bigger. What defines a ULCV? Consensus is any container ship over 10,000 TEU’s. According to DynaLiners, … [Read more...]
MAN Hired for World’s First Megaship Conversion to LNG Fuel
MAN Energy Solutions has signed a contract for the conversion of a 15,000 TEU container vessel to dual-fuel LNG operation. The container vessel MV SAJIR is owned by Hapag-Lloyd, one of the world's leading liner shipping companies, and normally serves a route from Asia to northern Europe via the Suez canal. The pilot project will entail the conversion of an existing, … [Read more...]
Carriers Show Reduced Appetite for Megaship Orders, Drewry Says
By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) - A “reduced appetite” for ordering ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) and carriers instead aspiring to become global logistics integrators could finally balance container capacity supply with demand, according to new analysis from Drewry. Indeed, at the end of last year Maersk’s chief executive, Soren Skou, told The Financial Times: … [Read more...]
MSC to Close Capacity Gap on Maersk in 2019
By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) - MSC is set to receive some 330,000 teu of newbuild tonnage this year and will close the gap on its 2M partner, Maersk Line, in the capacity rankings. According to new analysis by Alphaliner, MSC has the largest newbuild pipeline of all ocean carriers this year, with 20 vessels expected, for an aggregated total capacity of 334,550 teu. It … [Read more...]