Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. (Yang Ming) will add one new 11,000 TEU container vessel, ‘YM Travel’ on 27th July, 2021, according to the company's release. The vessel chartered from Shoei Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. and built by Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. was named at a ceremony held at Imabari Hiroshima Shipyard. Yang Ming’s attendees joined the ceremony remotely at their Taipei office. Mrs. Chen, Shi-Kuan, Chairman of SinoPac Holdings, had the honor to officially name the ship during the ceremony and wish the ship and its crew the best of luck on their future voyages.
To further strengthen Yang Ming’s mid- to long-term operational efficiency, the company ordered a total of fourteen 11,000 TEU newbuildings through long-term charter agreements with ship owners. YM Travel is the sixth delivered in the series. This type of vessels has a nominal capacity of 11,860 TEU and is equipped with 1,000 plugs for reefer containers. With a length of 333.9 meters, a width of 48.4 meters, a draft of 16 meters, these vessels are designed to cruise at a speed up to 23 knots. The containerships incorporate various environmental features including scrubbers, Water Ballast Treatment Plant and Alternative Marine Power system.
This type of vessels adopts the twin-island design to increase loading capacity and navigational visibility to ensure more efficiency and safety. The ship hull form optimization will further increase energy saving and reduce overall emissions. In addition, the ships are designed with shorter length and beam, which makes them easier to maneuver during berthing or departure. The new dimensions enable these ships to call at major ports worldwide and pass through new Panama Canal with no restriction, and facilitate greater flexibility in vessel deployment.
Yang Ming started taking delivery of these new vessels from 2020. These newbulidings will lower the average age of its global fleet, reduce unit cost and achieve energy efficiency. In addition, these ships will accelerate fleet optimization to proactively cope with the challenges and stricter environmental regulations faced by the fast-changing shipping industry. The container shipping market has seen a surge in demand. During the period, the deployment of these new vessels will enable Yang Ming to maximize capacity utilization, greatly enhance its service quality, and deliver more excellent service to global customers.
YM Travel will join THE Alliance’s trans-Pacific service PS6 on July 30th, the port rotation of PS6 is Qingdao – Ningbo – Pusan – Los Angeles – Oakland – Kobe – Qingdao.