HMM Achieves 'Perfect Full Load' on All 12 of the World's Largest Container Ships

Total Transport Volume Reaches 3 Million Tons... 25% of Exports to Europe
All Line 12 Trains Fully Loaded, Proving Economic Feasibility

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] HMM's fleet of 12 of the world's largest container ships deployed this year has all set sail fully loaded, achieving a record.

HMM announced on the 4th that at 9 p.m. on the 30th, the HMM Saint Petersburg loaded 19,529 TEU (a unit referring to one 6m container) and departed for Europe, marking that all 12 of the world's largest 24,000 TEU-class container ships delivered this year have set sail fully loaded.

Thus, from the first ship, Algeciras, which set a world record by loading 19,621 TEU in May, to the 12th ship, all have set sail fully loaded. Additionally, the 1st to 3rd ships also set sail fully loaded on their second voyages after returning from Europe, continuing a streak of 15 consecutive fully loaded departures.

The total cargo volume loaded on the 15 fully loaded voyages so far amounts to 300,000 TEU, which corresponds to approximately 3 million tons by weight. This is about 25% of the annual cargo volume of 11.7 million tons exported from Korea to European Union (EU) member countries last year.

HMM views this unprecedented streak of fully loaded voyages as proof of the economic efficiency of ultra-large container ships. In fact, although HMM's 24,000 TEU-class container ships have the world's largest cargo capacity, the crew consists of only 23 members, the same number as on medium-sized ships of 4,000 to 5,000 TEU, resulting in high cost competitiveness.

HMM President Bae Jae-hoon stated, "Thanks to the government's active support through the five-year shipping reconstruction plan, which helped HMM overcome its management crisis, we have been able to stand up again," adding, "We will do our best to become a leading shipping company with solid competitiveness that can overcome any difficulties in the future."

Meanwhile, despite a decrease in cargo volume due to the COVID-19 pandemic, HMM succeeded in returning to profitability in the first half of the year after 21 quarters. Especially, HMM expects greater performance improvements in the second half of the year due to the effects of deploying the world's largest container ships from the second quarter and joining the shipping alliance, The Alliance, as a full member.

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