GERMANY's Hapag-Lloyd has received the 13,169-TEU New York Express, the second unit of its newbuilding programme of ten 13,169 TEU ships with Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).
But Alphaliner notes that the 13,169 TEU figure may be a low as 12,500 as carriers tend to add another layer of containers to increase the apparent size of a ship when it typically carries fewer boxes than stated capacity.
"The 500-600 TEU difference is explained by the fact that carriers include a top tier in the count, which is more notional than real," said Alphaliner, the Paris-based maritime consultancy.
Four ships are new orders while six other newbuildings arise from an upgraded orders for six 8,750-TEUers in February 2008, said the report.
The deliveries of these 10 units are spread over a 16-month period, with the 10th vessel to come into service in the third quarter of 2013. The New York Express is to join this week the G6 Asia-Europe Loop 4. The New York Express follows the Hamburg Express, delivered in July.
Asian Shipper News