The second of the six United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) 18 800 TEU-capacity ultra-large container ships (ULCS) on order, made a call at APM Terminals in Zeebrugge, Belgium on Friday.
The LNG-ready Al Muraykh is on her maiden voyage to Europe on the Asia/Europe Container 1 (AEC1) route.
These vessels utilise new advanced technology to reduce CO2 emissions per TEU by 60%, compared with the 13 500 TEU capacity vessels delivered just three years ago. They are also the largest vessels which can be powered by either liquefied natural gas (LNG) or conventional heavy fuel oil.
The vessels are the first to have received DNV GL certification of compliance with the latest LNG regulations.
APM Terminals Zeebrugge (North Europe’s 7th-busiest container port) is one of a select group of European container terminals which can accommodate ULCS with containers stacked 10-high on deck and rows 24 containers-wide. The terminal handled 406 000 TEUs in 2014.
As of September 1, there were 31 vessels of 18 000 TEU capacity or above in service in the global container fleet, with 72 more awaiting delivery.
