HMM names world’s largest container vessel

HMM Algeciras is the first of twelve 24,000 TEU containerships ordered by HMM

South Korean container shipping giant HMM (the company formerly known as Hyundai Merchant Marine) this morning held a naming ceremony for what will be the the world’s largest containership, the HMM Algeciras.

Measuring 399.9 meters long and with a beam of 61 meters and depth of 33.2 meters the vessel will have a capacity of 23,964 TEU, compared with the 23,656 TEU of Mediterranean Shipping Co.’ MSC’s Gülsün class ships, which currently hold the “world’s largest” title.

Built at Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering’s Okpo shipyard, HMM Algeciras is the first of twelve 24,000 TEU containerships ordered by HMM for delivery between now and September. Seven of the ships are on order at DSME and five at Samsung Heavy Industries.

HMM has a further eight 16,000 TEU-class containerships on order at Hyundai Heavy Industries, slated to be delivered from the second quarter of 2021.

All the ships are scrubber-equipped with optimized hull lines.

Dignitaries attending today’s naming ceremony included South Korean President Moon Jae-in with First Lady Kim Jung-sook serving as the vessel’s godmother.

The Panama-flagged HMM Algeciras will be deployed on the Far East Europe 4 (FE4) service, one of the Asia-North Europe trade lanes of THE Alliance.

HMM stopped using the name Hyundai Merchant Marine as its official corporate name and brand, starting on April 1, 2020. The company has been completely separated from the Hyundai Group since August 2016.