'HMM Alhesiras' Naming Ceremony... President Moon Calls It a "Signal for Shipping Revival"

First Lady Kim Jung-sook Performs Role as Godmother

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] HMM held the naming ceremony for the world's largest container ship, 'HMM Algeciras,' the first of its kind, on the 23rd. HMM held the naming ceremony for the HMM Algeciras at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Okpo Shipyard in Geoje, Gyeongnam, that afternoon.

Symbolizing the 'revival of the shipping industry,' the event was attended by over 160 people, including President Moon Jae-in, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Moon Sung-hyeok, Chairman of the Financial Services Commission Eun Sung-soo, Chairman of KDB Industrial Bank Lee Dong-gul, President of Korea Ocean Business Corporation Hwang Ho-sun, and President of HMM Bae Jae-hoon.

Notably, First Lady Kim Jung-sook attended the event and served as the sponsor (godmother), performing the role of cutting the rope to launch the ship into the sea. In his congratulatory speech, President Moon said, "With today's naming ceremony of the Algeciras, we have launched a signal flare for the revival of Korea's shipping industry to the world," adding, "The twelve ultra-large container ships will restore the status of our shipping industry."

The vessel named HMM Algeciras is the first of twelve 24,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit, a unit referring to one 6m container) class ships contracted by HMM in 2018. Each ship can carry about 24,000 containers of 1 TEU size, boasting the world's largest cargo capacity. For example, if this ship were loaded with ramen, it could carry a total of 550 million packs, enough for the entire Korean population to eat for about four days.

On the other hand, the crew required for operation totals 23, the same as existing 3,000 to 4,000 TEU class ships, allowing for significant cost competitiveness. Additionally, to comply with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) environmental regulations enforced from January 1 this year, a hybrid scrubber (desulfurization device) has been installed on this ship. The hybrid scrubber can operate in both open and closed modes, enabling easy compliance with scrubber regulations at different ports.

HMM plans to receive a total of twelve 24,000 TEU class ships, including the HMM Algeciras, at intervals of 1 to 2 weeks by September this year. Next year, eight 16,000 TEU class ships will be delivered. Among these, the twelve 24,000 TEU class ships will be deployed on the Asia-Europe route operated by the shipping alliance 'THE Alliance,' filling the slots together with member companies.

President Bae Jae-hoon said, "I sincerely thank the many institutions and stakeholders who have shown great interest and support for HMM's revival so far," adding, "Through securing these ultra-large ships and starting cooperation with THE Alliance, we will confidently compete with global shipping companies and lead the revival of Korea's shipping industry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.