Maersk Line, the global containerized division of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group is considering an option to order another 10 Triple-E ships from South Korean manufacturer Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., before the end of February 2012, as it has already placed orders for 20 such ships that are due for delivery between 2013 and 2015, Dow Jones reports.
The Triple-E vessels account for the biggest container ships ever built with a price tag of $190 million each, a length of 400 meters and a capacity of 18,000 twenty-foot containers.
The decision has not been made yet and the Maersk Line Chief Operating Officer Morten Engelstoft stated that he did not expect that the company’s capacity will substantially change by the end of the year thus there is a great possibility that the decision will not be exercised. He added that it is good to hace that option open.
The global economy has deteriorated since Maersk Line ordered the first two tranches of the Triple-E ships, shipping rates have dropped to unsustainable lows and the shipping industry has increased orders of new tonnage for the key Asia-Europe routes that Maersk had ordered the Triple-E ships for.
[mappress]
World Maritime News Staff, December 28, 2011; Image: Maersk Line