Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) has held the naming ceremony for the HMM Hamburg, the next vessel in its fleet of 24,000 TEU mega-ships.
The ceremony was held on 1 July 2020 at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME)’s Okpo shipyard in Geoje, Korea.
The HMM Hamburg is the seventh of HMM’s 12-strong fleet of mega-ships to be named and follows the HMM Rotterdam, which was unveiled on 26 June 2020.
They all follow the HMM Algeciras, the largest vessel in the world, which was officially named and unveiled in April 2020, and is currently on its maiden voyage.
All 12 of the mega-ships are due to be finished and put into operation by September 2020. A further eight 16,000 TEU vessels will be delivered by the end of the first quarter 2021.
The entire fleet of mega-ships is fitted with scrubbers, engines designed to limit sulphur emission and meet the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) targets.
HMM’s fleet expansion has been made possible by its membership of THE Alliance with Hapag-Lloyd and Ocean Network Express (ONE), and is playing a leading part in the rejuvenation of South Korea’s maritime industry.
Despite allowing carriers and exporters to meet the ever-accelerating demands of international trade, there remain concerns about mega-ships’ feasibility and safety.
