Departure of Maersk Line’s 14th Triple-E vessel, the Munkebo Maersk, from Dalian, China, has marked the official start of Maersk Line’s new East-West Network as a result of 2M Alliance between MSC and Maersk.
The Munkebo Maersk has been freshly delivered by Daiwoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering shipyard in Okpo.
The 18,270 TEU contanership left Dalian on Sunday, January 10 and is en route for Busan New Port, according to Marine Traffic data.
The vessel’s maiden voyage will include calls at Qingdao, Ningbo, Xiamen, and Tanjung Pelepas followed by transit of the Suez Canal on February 7 wherefrom it will head to Europe.
The world’s largest container carrier signed a 10 year Vessel Sharing Agreement with MSC on the Asia-Europe, Transatlantic and Transpacific trades in July.
The VSA will replace all existing VSAs and slot purchase agreements that Maersk Line has in these trades.
The VSA will include 185 vessels with an estimated capacity of 2.1 million TEU, deployed on 21 strings.
World Maritime News Staff; Image: Maersk