Maersk unit takes delivery of first WAFMAX, 4,500-TEU Safmarine Chilka


MAERSK's north-south shipping line, Safmarine, has taken delivery of the 4,500-TEU Safmarine Chilka, the first of three new WAFMAX containerships.

The vessel has been purpose-built for the trade with Africa, an emerging region the parent group is concentrating on. The ship is, henceforth, being deployed on the Far East-Africa trade, a company statement said.

The newbuildiing is described as being the first of a series of containerships from Hyundai Heavy Industries to be fitted with super-long-stroke main engines and a waste heat recovery system to reduce emissions and save fuel.

According to Safmarine CEO Grant Daly, 23 new vessels branded to the carrier have joined the group's fleet since 2004.

Using environmentally-friendly paints for its white ships is not only a characteristic of the smaller container line, "but it also benefits energy conservation as it lowers the ambient temperature in the holds where reefer boxes are carried, and this means less energy is needed for cooling and less electricity consumed," Mr Daly added.

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