The World’s Largest Container Ship “HMM Algeciras” Made its Maiden Voyage to Qingdao Port

On April 26, the 24,000-TEU “HMM Algeciras”, the world’s largest container ship owned by THE Alliance, made its maiden voyage to Qingdao Port. The ceremony was held at No.81 berth of Qianwan terminal, marking Qingdao Port entering the era of 24,000 TEU.

World-class port and container ship

Large ships berth at large ports. So, how big is this ship? It is 399.9 meters in LOA, 61.03 meters in width and 33.2 meters in depth with a designed capacity of 23,964 containers. As the largest container ship worldwide, it breaks the record of 23,756 containers set by MSC Gulsun, Isabella and Mina.

In recent years, ships have become larger and larger. Many top shipping companies have made orders of ships with a capacity of over 18,000 TEU. Among them, HMM is expected to add 12 container ships with 24,000 TEU this year, becoming the largest container company in the world. The Algeciras is the first one.

The effect of super-large container ships is self-evident, such as economies of scale, reduction of unit cost and improvement of fuel efficiency. However, it also poses challenges to the port’s capacity, operation efficiency, supporting services, collection and distribution facilities.

As a leading port, Qingdao Port boasts sound water depth condition, advanced facilities as well as collection and distribution system. Also, it has 23 berths designed for large ships. The port has shown its unique advantages in adapting to large ships and has been favored by many liner companies. According to statistics, it has received 48 large container ships with a loading capacity exceeding 20,000 TEUs this year, doubling year-on-year.

On April 7, THE Alliance opened the first shipping route from Northern China to the Middle East and set Qingdao Port as the first and only stop in northern China. This time, the Algeciras made its maiden voyage to Qingdao Port. These actions fully demonstrate its trust and strong support for the port.

It is learned that the ships will berth at Busan, Ningbo and Shanghai and sail to Rotterdam, Hamburg and other European ports through Suez Canal, speeding up the construction of the logistics channel connecting East Asia and Western Europe. It can also add momentum for Qingdao Port to construct the maritime strategic point of the Belt and Road Initiative, the world-class port and international shipping centre.

全球首艘最大集装箱班轮—THE联盟“HMM阿尔赫西拉斯”轮首航山东港口

4月26日，载箱量2.4万标准箱的全球首艘最大集装箱班轮——THE联盟“HMM阿尔赫西拉斯”轮首航仪式在山东港口青岛港前湾三期集装箱码头81泊位隆重举行，标志着山东港口集装箱业务迈入24000标准箱“大船时代”。

世界级大港与世界级大船的瞩目对接

大船靠大港。那么，这条世界最大的集装箱船舶到底有多大？用一组数据说明，“阿尔赫西拉斯”轮长399.9米，宽61.03米，型深33.2米，设计装载量为23964个集装箱，打破了此前“地中海古尔松”“地中海伊莎贝拉”和“地中海米娅”等23756箱的纪录，是目前世界上最大的集装箱船舶。

近年来，船舶大型化大行其道。世界前十大船公司纷纷更换1.8万标准箱以上的大船。其中，韩国HMM今年将有12艘2.4万标准箱大船陆续下水，成为全球拥有最大集装箱船舶数量最多的船公司，“阿尔赫西拉斯”轮正是第一艘。

超大型集装箱船带来的规模经济、降低单位成本、提高燃油效率等效果不言而喻，但同时也对港口的码头能力、操作效率、配套服务、集疏运能力等提出了全方位挑战。

作为山东港口龙头的青岛港拥有优良水深条件、先进的码头设施、优越的集疏运体系，23个大型集装箱专用泊位能从容停靠世界最大集装箱船舶。山东港口在适应船舶大型化显示出的得天独厚优势，受到了全球众多超级货轮的青睐。据统计，今年青岛港已累计接卸装载量超2万标准箱的集装箱大船48艘次，同比翻番增长。

今年4月7日，THE联盟开通了中国北方首条中东直达航线，把青岛港作为首挂港和中国北方唯一挂靠港；此次又将全球最大等级集装箱船首航放在青岛港。THE联盟在不到一个月时间里两度联手，充分彰显了对山东港口的格外信任和大力支持。

据了解，此次“阿尔赫西拉斯”从青岛出发，挂靠釜山、宁波、上海等港口，经苏伊士运河后驶往鹿特丹、汉堡等欧洲港口，将加快打造东联日韩、西接欧亚大陆的“东西双向互济、陆海内外联动”的国际物流大通道，也将助力山东港口打造“一带一路”海上战略支点、世界一流的海洋港口和国际航运中心。