GERMANY`s Hapag-Lloyd has received the 13,169-TEU New York Express, the second unit of its newbuilding programme of ten 13,169 TEU ships with Korea`s Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).
But Alphaliner notes that the 13,169 TEU figure may be a low as 12,500 as carriers tend to add another layer of containers to increase the apparent size of a ship when it typically carries fewer boxes than stated capacity.
"The 500-600 TEU difference is explained by the fact that carriers include a top tier in the count, which is more notional than real," said Alphaliner, the Paris-based maritime consultancy.
Four ships are new orders while six other newbuildings arise from an upgraded orders for six 8,750-TEUers in February 2008, said the report.
The deliveries of these 10 units are spread over a 16-month period, with the 10th vessel to come into service in the third quarter of 2013. The New York Express is to join this week the G6 Asia-Europe Loop 4. The New York Express follows the Hamburg Express, delivered in July.\