Superships taking to the seas

Denmark’s Maersk Line is expecting a bumper delivery of what will become the world’s largest containerships, after twenty 18 270-TEU monsters arrive between now and 2015. Four of them are to be delivered this year, starting with the McKinney Moller. The remaining 16 units are slated for delivery in 2014 and 2015, with about one a month. Other super-massive ships are also due in the next few months, including four 13 350-TEU ships for China’s Cosco. The last four in the series of eight are due from the Nantong Shipyard in 2014. The APL Temasek is the first of ten 14 000-TEUers ordered by the Singaporean shipping line from Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries in June 2011. Five have been chartered to MOL in an intra-alliance arrangement, and deliveries of the final four ships in the series have been delayed until the first half of 2014. CMA CGM is taking delivery of the Alexander von Humboldt, the second in a series of three 16 000-TEU vessels, from Daewoo (DSME) shipyard. The last ship, the CMA CGM Jules Verne, will arrive in May.