Container shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport has added a new 11,000 TEU container vessel named YM Throne to its fleet.
The vessel is chartered from Shoei Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. and was built by Imabari Shipbuilding Co. The naming ceremony for YM Throne took place at Imabari Hiroshima Shipyard in Mihara, Japan on Aug. 5, while Yang Ming’s attendees joined the ceremony remotely from their Taipei office.
Hsieh-Lung Yeh, Director-General of the Maritime and Port Bureau, MOTC officially named the ship, while Shu-Chu Li, wife of Director-General of the Maritime and Port Bureau, MOTC performed the ceremonial cord-cutting.
“To further strengthen Yang Ming’s mid- to long-term operational efficiency, the company ordered a total of 14 11,000 TEU newbuilds through long-term charter agreements with ship owners,” the company explained in a statement. YM Throne, the 13th in the series, was delivered on Aug. 31.
The vessel has a nominal capacity of 11,860 TEU and is equipped with 1,000 plugs for reefer containers. It has a length of 333.9 meters, a width of 48.4 meters, a draft of 16 meters, and is designed to cruise at a speed up to 23 knots. She and her sister newbuild containerships incorporate various environmental features including scrubbers, a water ballast treatment plant and an Alternative Marine Power (AMP) system.
The vessel class has a twin-island design to increase loading capacity and navigational visibility to ensure more efficiency and safety. according to Yang Ming, The shipping company also stated that the ship hull form optimization “further increases energy saving, reduces overall emissions and increases fleet diversity.”
“In addition, the ships are designed with shorter length and beam, which makes them easier to maneuver during berthing or departure,” the company said in a statement. “The new dimensions enable these ships to call at major ports worldwide and pass through the new Panama Canal with no restriction, and facilitate greater flexibility in vessel deployment.
Yang Ming started taking delivery of the new vessels in 2020.
“These additions can lower the average age of Yang Ming’s global fleet, reduce unit cost and achieve energy efficiency,” the shipper stated. “In addition, these (newbuilds) will help the company to proactively cope with the challenges faced by the fast-changing shipping industry.”
YM Throne is being deployed on Yang Ming’s Trans-Pacific service PN3.
“The joining of YM Throne will significantly enhance the competitiveness of Yang Ming’s global fleet and service network,” according to the company.
The port rotation for the first voyage of YM Throne in PN3 was Hong Kong – Yantian – Shanghai – Pusan – Vancouver – Tokyo – Kobe – Pusan – Kaohsiung – Hong Kong.