Maersk considers 16 000 TEU ships

Will they, won’t they? That’s the question being asked as internet reports indicate that the Danish giant Maersk Line is looking at buying even bigger, new generation megacontainerships. One ship broker told Lloyds List that Maersk had asked yards to tender for 10 ships of 16 000-TEU capacity, well in excess of the world’s current biggest superships. But AP Moller-Maersk’s head of group finance, Jan Kjaervik, told Reuters that they had not “ordered” the vessels – but admitted that the line was talking about ships of that size with shipbuilders. Maersk pioneered the super-sized containership – with eight vessels of well over 14 000 TEUs delivered between 2006 and 2008. The first of these, the Emma Mærsk, is currently credited as being the largest container ship ever built. Other lines are only just catching up, with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) taking delivery this year of its first 14 000-TEU ships, and CMA CGM now receiving its 13 800-TEU newbuildings. Should Maersk Line make its move in the coming months to step up to another class, it would maintain a competitive edge over its closest rivals.