Hapag Lloyd christens giant COLOMBO EXPRESS

[Nick the Greek]

She is 335m long and 43m wide and can carry 8,750 containers. The largest containership in the world was named today in Singapore. The newbuilding built at Hyundai Heavy Industries in Korea is certainly a ship of superlatives: with a length of 335m and a width of 43m, she is the size of three football fields. She has a capacity of 104,000t and can carry 8,750 standard containers. Lined up end to end, these containers would stretch for 53 km. The ship's diesel has an output of 68,640 kW or 93,500 hp and generates sufficient electricity to supply a fairly large small town. The engine provides the vessel with a speed of 25 knots, or about 50 km/h.

Hapag-Lloyd is the first shipping line to use this innovative and environment-friendly marine diesel. These plants more than meet the environmental standards of the IMO (International Maritime Organisation). Their electronic injection and valve control systems cut nitrogen emissions by 30%. Bunker consumption is reduced by 2%.

The newbuilding with Hamburg as home port operates between Europe and Asia, calling at the ports Shanghai, Xiamen, Yantian, Hong Kong, Singapore, Southampton, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Port Klang, Singapore, Hong Kong and again Shanghai. The round voyage time on this route takes 56 days. Hapag-Lloyd will commission seven more sister ships as well as two slightly smaller units (8,400 slots) up to 2008.

Source: Hapag Lloyd Container Line

[Nick the Greek]

Containerships at Hapag-Lloyd traditionally bear the name of a city, followed by "Express". In 1886, North German Lloyd in Bremen, one of the two original companies of Hapag-Lloyd, opened its East Asia service with the steamship "Oder", calling at Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore as well as Colombo. In the same year, a service was set up linking Germany with Australia via Colombo. Colombo was not only an important transhipment hub for Hapag-Lloyd in the past: it has remained a key port up to the present day. Customers are provided with seven weekly departures providing links with the world’s main economic centres. The port is also a significant transhipment hub for the Indian subcontinent.

Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft, known for short as "Hapag" or Hamburg-American Line, was founded in 1847 to carry emigrants to the "New World". Its greatest competitor was North German Lloyd, founded in Bremen in 1857. The companies merged in 1970 to form Hapag-Lloyd AG, which has belonged to TUI AG since 1997.

Hapag-Lloyd is one of the leading container lines worldwide and also operates four cruise ships in the premium and luxury segment, including the “Europa”, rated the world’s finest cruise ship by the Berlitz Guide. Its liner shipping network comprises a total of 64 liner services: 14 between Europe and Asia, 12 on the Pacific between Asia and North America, 14 on the Atlantic (Europe-USA), 5 from Europe to South America, 16 within Asia, as well as 1 within Europe and 2 between North and South America.