A new 20,150 TEU containership has captured the “world’s largest” title: MOL Triumph, the first in a series of new mega containerships for Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., (MOL) was named at Samsung Heavy Industries, Ltd.’s (SHI) Geoje, South Korea shipyard.
MOL Triumph is the first of four 20,000 TEU class ultra-large container carriers ordered by MOL in February 2015 to be built by SHI for 2017 delivery. Each surpasses the record setting 19,000+ TEU vessels built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) for Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the first of which, MSC Oscar, was delivered in 2015.
The 20,150 TEU, 400m-long MOL Triumph will only spend a short time at the top, however, as SHI will soon deliver the first of six 21,100 TEU containerships for Hong Kong’s Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (OOCL) on order from 2015.
MOL Triumph, with a breadth of 58.8m and draft of 32.8m, was named during a ceremony attended by SHI CEO Dae-Young Park and MOL CEO Junichiro Ikeda, among others.
The containership is now undergoing final preparations ahead of its March 27 delivery date. The vessel is expected to join THE Alliance FE2 loop connecting Asia and northern Europe.
In addition to the four vessels on order at SHI, MOL also has an memorandum of understanding with Shoei Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. for the long-term charter of two additional 20,000 TEU containerships to be built at Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd and launched in 2017. These vessels will also join the Asia-Europe trade.
In all, SHI said it plans to deliver 10 containerships of 20,000 TEU or larger this year. Imabari, meanwhile, said it has orders for 11 20,000 TEU vessels.