HMM announced that all of its twelve 24,000 TEU containerships have been entirely filled with cargoes on their first voyage.
On 30 September, HMM St. Petersburg, the last of the 24K-class series, departed for Europe from the Port of Yantian, China with 19,529 TEUs loaded on board.
Consequently, all 24,000 TEU ships delivered by HMM have made their maiden voyage with a full load of cargoes, starting with HMM Algeciras which carried a total of 19,621 TEUs last May.
HMM reveals success of twelve 24,000 TEU containerships. Image: HMM
In particular, HMM Algeciras and its two sister ships, HMM Oslo and HMM Copenhagen, embarked on their second journey full of export shipments from Asia to Europe.
Considering the safety of vessel operations and cargo weight, the maximum loadable capacity of each 24,000 TEU ship stands at around 19,300 TEUs on average.
Jae-hoon Bae, President & CEO of HMM, said, “This is a major milestone for us to expand our presence in the global market in close cooperation with THE Alliance.” and added, “I am delighted that our efforts and dedication have come to fruition, which gave us a much needed uplift. We will take a big step forward to prove what we are capable of in the years ahead.”
HMM has returned to profit in the second quarter of this year, achieving an operating profit of USD 115 million and a net profit of USD 23 million, despite high volatility due to the Covid-19 pandemic. HMM will seek to enhance its profitability based on the seamless operation of 24,000 TEU ships, the realignment of service routes, and a string of cost-cutting measures.
Meanwhile, HMM has led an effort to stabilise the logistics flow by deploying extra tonnage to the market where a swift delivery of cargo is required and fully operating its entire fleet without idle container vessels in the face of the recent surge in cargo demand.