Madrid Maersk Makes Maiden Port Call

On April 27, Madrid Maersk, a 20,568 TEU container vessel and the first second generation Triple-E class vessel, called the Port of Tianjin in China. This was the first port on its maiden voyage. 

Madrid Maersk is the first in a series of 11 second generation Triple-E vessels. It is also the first of the 27 vessels Maersk Line ordered in 2015 to enter service. Maersk Line will take delivery of the vessels until end of 2018 to replace older and less efficient tonnage.
 
Prior to the delivery of Madrid Maersk, Maersk Line had not taken delivery of its own newbuildings since July 2015.
 
Maersk Line’s remaining order book consists of 10 second generation Triple-E vessels, nine 15,226 TEU and seven 3,596 TEU container vessels. The order book corresponds to 11 percent of Maersk Line’s current fleet – a relatively small order book when compared to the industry’s order book of around 15 percent.
 
Maersk Line will continue to manage fleet capacity tightly. The company has a relatively high number of vessels on short term charters. This gives it the flexibility to adjust fleet capacity when new vessels come on-stream. Maersk Line is also recycling old and more inefficient vessels. In the first quarter of 2017, Maersk Line recycled seven Panamax vessels.
 
Madrid Maersk joined the company’s fleet four years after the arrival of the first Triple-E vessel, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller.

Maersk Line has deployed Madrid Maersk in its Asia – Europe service network. It is considered the world’s largest container ship by TEU and also by actual cargo carrying capacity.

More information on the company’s fleet is available here.