Hudong–Zhonghua launches scrubber-fitted Maersk Charleston

Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), has launched the 15,500 TEU Maersk Charleston.

The scrubber-fitted vessel is being built for Hong Kong-based Seaspan Corporation under a contract announced in 2021 covering six 15,500 TEU units. It will be classed by DNV classification society and go on a long-term charter to Maersk upon delivery.

“We can confirm that Maersk Charleston is on charter with Maersk from delivery at the yard and the charter duration is 7 years. We will charter another 2 vessels from this series when they deliver later this year so a total of 3 x 15000 TEU sisters from Seaspan,” a Maersk spokesperson told Offshore Energy.

The order was split between CSSC’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding and Jiangnan Shipyard, with deliveries expected to begin in the second half of 2023 and extend through to mid-year 2024, according to Seaspan.

The shipowner said at the time that the high-quality 15,500 TEU containerships would be scrubber-fitted and include industry-leading emissions reduction technologies. The ships have been earmarked for long-term charters with global liner customers, however, Seaspan did not reveal the identity of the charterers at the time.

Hudong–Zhonghua recently started building another unit from the series, sharing additional technical details of the design of the batch.

Namely, the 15,500 TEU containerships will be 366 meters long, 51 meters wide, and 30.2 meters high each. They will have the ability to reach a speed of 22.0 knots. The ULCVs will boast an optimized hull shape, a large-diameter propeller that cuts fuel consumption and thus aids in emission reduction as well as an energy-saving duct.

All the newbuilds will be scrubber-fitted and will include energy-saving and emissions-reduction technologies helping the vessels meet IMO NOx Tier III requirements.

Maersk recently took delivery of Maersk Biscayne, which is the third of a total of ten vessels the company has taken on charter from Japanese Lepta Shipping, a joint venture between Nissen Kaiun and Mitsui & Co

“Maersk has 10 new energy efficient vessels in a seven-year time charter coming online to improve customer reliability and efficiency for Intra-Americas trade. The 3,500 TEU vessels will be named after US national parks, and will be delivered through mid-2024,” a Maersk spokesperson confirmed to Offshore Energy in an emailed statement.

The first three vessels are Maersk Acadia, Maersk Biscayne, and Maersk Everglades, which will be deployed on North America Express service, calling ports in the US East Coast, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. 

Maersk told our newsdesk that the vessels have 12 – 15% improved fuel efficiency per TEU. The efficiency gains are obtained by hydrodynamic optimisations (better hull shape/lines) and applications of selected energy-efficiency technologies.

The vessels are compliant with the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) phase III, due to optimized hull design, high-efficiency propeller and rudder design, application of the pre-swirled energy-saving device, and variable frequency drive control for main electrical consumers.

In addition, to improve the ships’ environmental footprint the ten vessels will be fitted with selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) applications for the main engine and auxiliary engines for NOx Tier III compliance, as well as a fully integrated ship power system for power supply during port operations.