Maersk Line has begun to take delivery of the 27 vessels that are set to enter the company’s fleet over the next two years, its COO Søren Toft has confirmed to ShippingWatch.
The arrival of Madrid Maersk (shown in the video below), the first 'Triple-E' vessel in Maersk's new mega-series, marks a new era that will see the top ocean carrier line start to return short-term chartered vessels from all segments to their owners.
Port of Tianjin in China was Madrid Maersk's first stop on its maiden voyage to Europe after departing from the DSME shipyard in early April.
It is the first of 11 vessels in the second generation 'Triple-E' series of 20,568 TEU ships.
Toft told ShippingWatch: “When we order vessels such as Madrid Maersk, it’s because these are the type of vessels that we need in order to reduce costs per container.
“It’s not alternative for us to charter four Panamax vessels, which is what we would need to replace one of the new vessels. We need this capacity.”
