Hamburg shipowner E.R. Schiffahrt has christened its first two 13,100 standard container mega carriers in Ulsan, South Korea. At 366 meters long, 48.2 meters wide and 15.5 meters draft, they are among the largest containerships sailing the world's oceans today, MarineLog reports.
The "E.R. Benedetta" and the "E.R. Cristina" are the 100th and 101st ships put into operation by E.R. Schiffahrt, which was founded in 1998. The huge containerships will be commissioned on November 29 and December 20, 2011. Although they will fly the German flag, they will be "the last ships that we will sail under the German flag for the time being," says Albert Schumacher, CEO of E.R. Schiffahrt. "We are currently waiting to see if the German federal government will continue to contribute to the German Maritime Association." ??In the past the government has helped ship management companies partially offset some of the competitive drawbacks they face in comparison to ships flying foreign flags via its contributions to the German Maritime Association, but this may cease to be the case.??The godmothers of the ships are members of the family of thecompany's founder and owner, Erck Rickmers. The double naming ceremony was celebrated together with business partners from the financial and shipping sectors. The ships were built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the largest shipyard in the world. Since 2002 E.R. Schiffahrt has ordered 79 ships, totaling more than $5 billion from the yard. The shipbuilder is working on six further 13,100-TEU sister ships for E.R. Schiffahrt, which are expected to be delivered by May 2012. ??The new generation of large container ships emits around 30% less CO2 per container than an 8,500-TEU ship. Despite their much greater transport capacity, mega carriers use approximately the same amount of fuel as 8,500-TEU ships. This means liner shipping companies can save around 30 percent in fuel costs. At today's prices of around $600 per tonne, that adds up to savings of approximately $19 million US dollars per ship. All of E.R. Schiffahrt's 13,100-TEU ships can operate on low-sulfur fuel and have a Germanischer Lloyd Environmental Passport. ??Because of the enormous size of the mega carriers, Masters of these vessels will be receiving further training. They will undergo intensive training on a high-tech simulator to learn how to carry out maneuvers in various wind and weather conditions.
The "E.R. Benedetta" and the "E.R. Cristina" are the 100th and 101st ships put into operation by E.R. Schiffahrt, which was founded in 1998. The huge containerships will be commissioned on November 29 and December 20, 2011. Although they will fly the German flag, they will be "the last ships that we will sail under the German flag for the time being," says Albert Schumacher, CEO of E.R. Schiffahrt. "We are currently waiting to see if the German federal government will continue to contribute to the German Maritime Association." ??In the past the government has helped ship management companies partially offset some of the competitive drawbacks they face in comparison to ships flying foreign flags via its contributions to the German Maritime Association, but this may cease to be the case.??The godmothers of the ships are members of the family of thecompany's founder and owner, Erck Rickmers. The double naming ceremony was celebrated together with business partners from the financial and shipping sectors. The ships were built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the largest shipyard in the world. Since 2002 E.R. Schiffahrt has ordered 79 ships, totaling more than $5 billion from the yard. The shipbuilder is working on six further 13,100-TEU sister ships for E.R. Schiffahrt, which are expected to be delivered by May 2012. ??The new generation of large container ships emits around 30% less CO2 per container than an 8,500-TEU ship. Despite their much greater transport capacity, mega carriers use approximately the same amount of fuel as 8,500-TEU ships. This means liner shipping companies can save around 30 percent in fuel costs. At today's prices of around $600 per tonne, that adds up to savings of approximately $19 million US dollars per ship. All of E.R. Schiffahrt's 13,100-TEU ships can operate on low-sulfur fuel and have a Germanischer Lloyd Environmental Passport. ??Because of the enormous size of the mega carriers, Masters of these vessels will be receiving further training. They will undergo intensive training on a high-tech simulator to learn how to carry out maneuvers in various wind and weather conditions.