The Rio Bravo was christened Nov. 12 in the port of Antwerp. She is the fifth newbuilding in a series of six identical Hamburg Süd container vessels, each with a slot capacity of 5,900 TEU.

Sponsor of the Rio Bravo is Laura Madeleine von Schubert, daughter of Roland Oetker, Managing Partner of R.O.I. Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH and Member of the Advisory Board of the Oetker Group.

Following her delivery on 18 August 2009 at Daewoo Mangalia Heavy Industries (DMHI), the Rio Bravo was first deployed in the service between Asia and South America East Coast before being phased into the Europe – South America East Coast Service in mid-October. She will be calling at Antwerp for the first time for the christening.

The final newbuilding of this series, the Rio Madeira, will also see service in Hamburg Süd’s Europe – South America Service. She is due to be delivered before the end of November 2009.

The Rio Bravo is named after the Rio Bravo del Norte, the Spanish name of the river Rio Grande, which flows through the U.S. and Mexico.

Technical data of the Rio Bravo:
Capacity    80,115 tdw
Container capacity    5,900 TEU
Reefer container plugs    1,365
Length, o.a.    939.7 ft
Length, b.p.    897.1 ft
Breadth    131.2 ft
Draught max.    44.3 ft
Speed    23 kn
Main engine output    45,760 kW

(www.hamburgsud.com)