Maersk Line orders 16 containerships from Daewoo

AP Moller-Maersk of Denmark has made a purchase agreement for sixteen 7,450TEU ships from Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in South Korea.

The ships are expected to be delivered between 2010 and 2012, and will be used by the group's liner shipping arm, Maersk Line. The ships will be deployed in the trades between the east coast of South America, Asia and Europe - markets where the carrier expects continued growth. The trade between the east coast of South America and Europe is primarily driven by the export of food products such as poultry, meat and fruit transported in refrigerated containers. Since 2002, the trade has grown by 15 per cent each year on average. This latest newbuilding order comes hot on the heels of Maersk's order last month for 18 new vessels from another South Korean shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries. The ships, valued at US$90 million each, are expected to be delivered in 2011 and 2012. The vessels are equipped with reefer plugs enabling them to each carry 1,700 refrigerated containers, the highest number ever carried on Maersk container ships. In addition, each vessel is equipped with a waste heat recovery system, which recycles excess heat from the exhaust to generate energy for propulsion of the vessel or on-board electricity consumption. The reduction in fuel consumption results in a corresponding reduction of emissions.
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