Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) will take delivery of the world’s largest vessel built by China’s Hudong Zhonghua shipyard, with an overall capacity of 24,116 TEU.
The MSC Tessa has the same dimensions as the Ever Alot – the world’s first ship to breach the 24,000 TEU mark – but holds an extra 112 slots for increased box capacity.
The new megaship has been floated out of at Jiangnan Changxing shipyard this week and delivery is expected by this year.
With a length of 399.99 metres, the MSC Tessa is one of four MSC has ordered from Hudong Zhonghua, part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). Assembly for the second and third vessels has started simultaneously in two drydocks at Hudong Zhonghua on 13 June, as COVID-19 lockdowns were lifted in the Shanghai area.
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According to CSSC, “while the main dimensions are unchanged, the company’s containership design team has optimised the ship’s superstructure, radar mast, and other related designs according to the characteristics of the ship owner’s operating routes.”
Hudong Zhonghua has developed the ship to its Hudong-type class design. These vessels measure approximately 399.8 metres in length with a beam of 61.5 metres.
The design incorporates several features which reportedly aim to improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel consumption by 3 to 4 per cent.
MSC currently has 114 ships on order which will have a total capacity of approximately 1.5 million TEU.
In the shipping analyst’s latest list of top shipping lines, MSC reached the top spot with a total capacity of 4,352,617 TEU across 665 ships.
