Top container shipper HMM christens very large container vessel

SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- HMM Co., South Korea's top container shipper, held a christening ceremony for a very large container ship in the southwestern port of Ulsan on Wednesday, which is slated to become operational next month.

The christening ceremony of the Garnet took place at the headquarters of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's top shipbuilder, with Oceans Minister Kang Do-hyung, HMM CEO Kim Kyung-bae and other dignitaries attending.

The ship marks the first delivery of 12 13,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) container ships for which HMM signed contracts with HDD Hyundai Heavy and Hanwha Ocean Co., then Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME), in June 2021.

"With the christening ceremony of the new vessel, HMM will be able to compete with global shipping companies confidently, contributing to the development of the local shipping industry and the national economy," Kim told the ceremony.

The 335-meter-long ship is tailored for low-speed operations, is fuel-efficient and is equipped with smart devices, HMM said, adding it could be converted into a ship powered by liquefied natural gas to reduce carbon emissions.

The vessel, which is named after January's birthstone, will be put into service on an eastern American route, named East Coast 1, starting Feb. 3, the shipper said.

HMM said it will deliver the remaining 11 container vessels by the end of this year.

With the full delivery of those vessels, HMM's tonnage is expected to reach 1 million TEUs, with very large ships of 10,000 TEUs or larger accounting for 80 percent of its total.

HMM said it would become the sole global shipper, with the ratio of very large vessels surpassing 80 percent, which will likely help reduce costs and boost operational efficiency.

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