Maersk Line contracts 10 Triple-E vessels
Triple-E – Maersk has exercised its option for 10 more ships, making 20 in total on order
Maersk Line has exercised its option with Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering to build an additional 10 Triple-E ships, which the company describes as the world’s largest and most efficient container vessels.
In February 2010, Maersk ordered 10 Triple-E vessels with two options - each for an additional 10 ships. Maersk Line expects demand on the Asia to Europe trade to increase 5-8% per year during 2011-2015. By introducing the Triple-E vessels from 2013, Maersk Line will be able to meet the increasing demand as well as maintain its market share. The first 10 vessels will be delivered 2013 and 2014; the second 10 vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2014 and 2015. The deadline for exercising the last option for an additional 10 vessels is end of December 2011. At this point Maersk Line does not intend to exercise the option, though it says it will reserve its right to hold off on any final decision until the deadline.
Called the ‘Triple-E’ class for the three main purposes behind their creation — economy of scale, energy efficiency and environmentally improved — the ships are claimed to set a new industry benchmark for size and fuel efficiency.
400m long, 59m wide and 73m high, the Triple-E’s 18,000 TEU (capacity is 16% greater (2,500 containers) than today’s largest container vessel, Emma Maersk.
The Triple-E will produce 20% less CO2 per container moved compared to Emma Maersk and 50% less than the industry average on the Asia-Europe trade lane. In addition, it will consume about 35% 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.
“I am very excited to have signed a contract with Daewoo for 10 more Triple-E ships. We now have 20 Triple-E on order. They underline our strong commitment to the Asia-Europe trade and fit well with our current ambitions and expectations for the future development of the trade. We believe the Triple-E ships with their record capacity and energy efficiency will enable us to deliver on the commercial and environmental expectations of our customers and also give us a significant competitive advantage in the market,” says Eivind Kolding, CEO of Maersk Line.
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