Maersk names triple E vessel - Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller.. the largest ship

The man you see here is a Danish shipping magnate, Arnold Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller who passed away in Apr 2012 at ripe age of 99. 

He had three daughters, youngest of them is Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla (born 1948). He was placed on Forbes' list as the 557th wealthiest person in the world (2007) with an estimated fortune of 142 billion Danish kroner which made him the wealthiest person in Denmark at his death. He is in news and his name would now be more famous ……….

Ships attract sailors and those interested in maritime trade. Never before has a cargo vessel been built under such a glare of publicity.  It is no ordinary vessel though……….

CMA CGM Marco Polo the  container ship of CMA CGM group had the unofficial title.  On 6 November 2012, it became the largest containership in the world measured by capacity, as it can hold 16,020 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit containers) superceding the previous largest Emma Mærsk and her seven sisters of the Mærsk E-class.  Its sistership  CGM Alexander Von Humboldt was to be the  second of the world’s largest and state of the art containerships. The vessel Marco Polo was built by Daewoo Ship building and Marine Engg in South Korea and was of dimensions : 396 meters long, 54 meters wide, with a draft of 16 meters and it sails under the UK flag.

It is not exactly dwarfed but beaten by another – 400 metres long, 59 metres wide and 73 metres high,  carrying capacity of  18,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) ; 600 plugs for reefers ~ a brand new vessel that was named in South Korea in a grand ceremony.  Reports state that Maersk CEO, Søren Skou, began the ceremony by welcoming guests and recounting the important tradition of naming ceremonies in Maersk ever since the first event in 1906 welcomed Peter Mærsk as the second vessel in the fleet. He then handed the podium and the honour of naming the first Triple-E vessel to Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla, the youngest daughter of Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller.

Uggala is quoted as saying - “I name you Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller,” ;  “As you sail the waters of the world, may your journeys be smooth and your tasks successful. May you bring happiness to your crew, may you be a safe haven for all who board you and may you bring pride and prosperity to all. I wish you Godspeed!”

Vessel naming ceremonies are special occasions for the vessel owner and the shipyard and an important tradition. Maersk in the international context, refers to the founding family of A.P. Moller – Maersk. Mærsk is Danish for marshland, which is the typical landscape in West Slesvig in the southern part of Denmark, where the family comes from. From the moment former Maersk Line chief executive Eivind Kolding unveiled the $1.9bn order for a series of 18,000 teu vessels at a slick and glitzy press conference in London nearly 30 months ago, construction of these newbuildings has been followed every step of the way. The Danish line is no stranger to pioneering ship designs. Maersk was the first to break the 6,000 teu barrier with the 1996-built, 318 m long Regina Maersk. Nearly a decade later came the 397 m Emma Maersk. Although Maersk Line said the cargo-carrying capacity of Regina Maersk was 6,000 teu, it was tightlipped about the deadweight. In reality, the nominal intake of the ship was about 6% larger than stated at the time, at nearer 6,400 teu. Emma Maersk was officially declared at around 11,000 teu. Only relatively recently did Maersk Line admit what the industry already knew; that they can theoretically carry 15,500 teu.

Industry sources state that the first of the Triple-Es enter service at a difficult time in the Asia-Europe trades, with westbound freight rates not far off record lows and cargo volumes weak because of depressed demand in much of Europe. That will raise questions about whether ships of this size are needed. Only time will tell. Shipping has never been for the faint-hearted. Sure this vessel Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller, and its sisterships, will draw huge crowds wherever they go. The Maersk Triple E class is a planned family of large, fuel-efficient container ships, designed as a successor to theMærsk E-class. The name "Triple E" is derived from the class's three design principles: "Economy of scale, Energy efficient and Environmentally improved". These ships are expected to be not only the world's largest ships in service, but also the most efficient containerships per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) of cargo.

Maersk plans to use the ships to service routes between Europe and Asia, projecting that Chinese exports will continue to grow. Unlike conventional single-engined container ships, the new class of ships is expected to be a twin-skeg design: It has twin diesel engines, each driving a separate propeller. Some say that with its dimensions these ships cannot pass through Panama and Suez canals…….. and with its size they are unlikely to call at any Indian ports too……..

Maersk Group is a global conglomerate consisting of a number of companies operating in two main industries – shipping and energy.  it is stated  that Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, as late as in 2012, at the age of 98 often walked up the stairs to his office on the 6th floor of number 50, Esplanaden, the headquarters of the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group.

It is not ships alone; some men are also made of steel…

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

17^th June 2013.

News and photos of new vessel from : http://www.worldslargestship.com.

Marcopolo from the site of CMA CGM