First A13 class containership delivered

The new vessel is the first in a series of nine A13 class container ships that UASC has on order at SHI, at a combined contract price of around US$ 1.5 billion. The remaining eight sisterships will enter service during the first four months of 2012.

With an overall length of 366m, and powered by a Doosan MAN B&W 12K98ME7 main engine, the Umm Salal can operate at a service speed of around 25 knots. The new ship has capacity for 800 40ft reefer containers on deck and has three holds designed for hazardous cargoes.

As well as being more economical, Umm Salal and her sisters are also environmentally-friendly vessels, incorporating waste heat recovery systems, and hulls coated with a silicone paint designed to reduce water resistance and so cut fuel consumption.

The 366m GL-classed Umm Salal is initially being deployed within the new AEC8 service that UASC launched in March 2011, together with China Shipping Container Line, CMA CGM and Evergreen, and which connects ports in China and Malaysia with Le Havre, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Zeebrugge in northern Europe. When the full fleet of nine A13 vessels has been delivered, UASC will use its latest newbuildings to establish a stand-alone service covering the Europe-Asia trades, with direct calls in the Middle East, the company’s core market. UASC currently owns and operates a total of 63 container ships and the A13 class vessels will be by far the biggest in this fleet. By comparison the A7 series, delivered in 2008, have a capacity of around 6900 TEU.