Rotterdam has welcomed the largest container ship in the world, the 400-metre long MSC Gülsün. It is the first container ship capable of transporting 24 containers side by side across the breadth of its hull, allowing for a 23,756-TEU capacity.
The MSC Gülsün arrived at the APMT 2 terminal quay in the Port of Rotterdam on Tuesday, 3 September at 2 pm. Previous record holder, the OOCL HongKong with a capacity of 21,413 TEU, was taken into operation two years earlier. The MSC Gülsün is the first in a series of eleven ultra-large containerships with a capacity of more than 23,000 TEU. Six of the vessels are being built by Samsung Heavy Industries, the other five by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering.
Rotterdam Ready for 30,000 TEU Vessels
‘Increased scale in container shipping is good for the Port of Rotterdam’s competitive position,’ stated Hans Nagtegaal, Container Manager at the Port of Rotterdam Authority during the arrival of MSC Gülsün. ‘With depths of 20 metres, we are convinced we can also welcome the 30,000 TEU vessels. The quays are also strong enough to accommodate larger cranes. Our immediate competitors don’t have anywhere near such depths,’ stated Nagtegaal.
‘Two new, modern terminals were taken into operation on Maasvlakte 2 in early 2015: RWG and APMT MVII. But the other container terminals on Maasvlakte, ECT Delta and Euromax, are also equipped to receive these kinds of vessels,’ Nagtegaal continued.
MSC Gülsün came from Gdansk and is expected to leave for Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia on 5 September at 4 pm.
Vessel Particulars
- Length (l.l.): 399.9 metres
- Breadth: 61.55 metres
- Depth: 33.2 metres
- Gross Tonnage: 232,618
- Summer deadweight: 197,500 tonnes
- Main engine: MAN D&T 11G95ME-C9.5 x 1 set (66,650 kW x 80.0 rpm)
- Fuel: Traditional marine fuel/option to use new low-Sulphur fuel, can be converted for LNG/dual fuel
- IMO 2020 Compliant: Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS) installed
- Safety: Double hull protection, dual-tower fire-fighting system, state-of-the-art lashing system
- Shore power: shore power connection enabled to tap local power sources in port
- Innovative engineering features: bulbous bow, optimised rudder-bulb, minimised ship side wind resistance, exhaust gas economiser for auxiliary engines
- Shipyard: Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea
- Delivered: July 2019
- Flag: Panama
All pictures by SWZ|Maritime/G.J. de Boer
