Aug 17, 2012
The German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has christened the its largest container ship and one of the largest in the world. The 366-meter-long Hamburg Express can transport 13,169 containers fully loaded and is to be used to transport goods between Europe and China. The container ship “means that productivity will grow, which will make Hapag-Lloyd more competitive,” said board member Ulrich Kranich on Friday at the ceremony in Hamburg.
Until now, only Hapag-Lloyd’s competitors, such as the world’s largest shipping company Maersk, have had ships of this scale. The freight ship, which cost more than 100 million euros, was built in South Korea and sailed on its maiden voyage to Germany. Hapag-Lloyd, the largest German shipping company, has ordered ten of these ships.
The enormous freight carriers are cheaper per container than smaller ships. Worldwide freight carriers are under price pressures because diesel continues to get more expensive while over-capacity limits the prices they can charge. Hapag-Lloyd announced a quarterly loss of 7 million euros, performing more poorly than, for example, its Danish competitor Maersk, which has had the giant ships in service longer. The freight carrier should be useful for German consumers because it would ensure that transport costs remain low
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| Bild från nätet. Vilken ful låda (fartyg)! PS Så här "skall" fartyg se ut. Som Johnsonlinjens ms Rosario:  |
