Hamburg Süd brings in its biggest vessel

Joining the “big ship” league in SA calls on December 4/5 will be the Hamburg Süd vessel the Santa Clara. She has the world’s biggest reefer capacity currently available (1 600 reefer plugs), and will be docking in SA for the first time in Port Elizabeth and then in Durban, according to Sam Moffitt, Hamburg Süd MD in SA. “With a nominal slot capacity of 7 100-TEUs and a length of around 300-metres,” he told FTW, “the Santa Clara is the largest vessel ever to have sailed under the Hamburg Süd flag.” Put into service at the Okpo yard in South Korea in September, she is the first of ten new Hamburg Süd container ships of the Santa class. She was phased straight into the New Good Hope Express Service between Asia, SA and the South America East Coast (SAEC). She will follow the arrival earlier this month of the biggest ship ever to dock in Durban, the 8 100-TEU MSC Maeva.