Other carriers expected to follow with megamax orders
South Korean flagship HMM has revealed the actual capacity of its mega boxship series set to start trading from early May, taking the world’s largest containership mantle in the process, with a host of rivals tipped to be readying their own megamax orders.
HMM officials have told Alphaliner the HMM Algericas, the first in the series of seven sister vessels, will have a nominal container capacity of 23,964 teu when it delivers from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, 208 teu larger than the current largest boxships afloat, the MSC Gulsun and its five sister ships.
The 400 m long HMM ship features 24 rows across – it and all its sister newbuilds which will deliver by the end of September – will join the Asia – North Europe FE4 loop of THE Alliance, which HMM will join on April 1.
As well as HMM and MSC, CMA CGM and Evergreen have thus far opted for these 24-row across giant ships, approaching 24,000 teu in capacity. Alphaliner, in its most recent weekly report, is predicting other carriers to follow suit, tipping Hapag-Lloyd, Cosco and Ocean Network Express (ONE) to be readying ship orders for this huge ship type, which Alphaliner has christened as megamax.
Containership size records have repeatedly been broken in recent years, climbing above the 20,000 teu mark for the first time in 2017.
