Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. (Yang Ming) will add one more new 11,000 TEU container vessel, ‘YM Topmost’. The vessel chartered from Shoei Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. and built by Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. was named at a ceremony held at Imabari Hiroshima Shipyard on Tuesday (Sep 07). Yang Ming’s attendees joined the ceremony remotely at their Taipei office. Mr. Jason Lin, President of M.I.T. Chartering & Agency Co., Ltd. was invited to officially name the ship and Mrs. Emily Lin, wife of President of M.I.T. Chartering & Agency Co., Ltd. had the honor to perform the ceremonial cord-cutting to wish the ship and its crew the best of luck on their future voyages.
To further strengthen Yang Ming’s mid- to long-term operational efficiency, the company ordered a total of fourteen 11,000 TEU newbuildings through long-term charter agreements with ship owners. YM Topmost is the seventh in the series and will be delivered on September 22nd. This type of vessels has a nominal capacity of 11,860 TEU and is equipped with 1,000 plugs for reefer containers. With a length of 333.9 meters, a width of 48.4 meters, a draft of 16 meters, these vessels are designed to cruise at a speed up to 23 knots. The containerships incorporate various environmental features including scrubbers, Water Ballast Treatment Plant and Alternative Marine Power system.
This type of vessels adopts the twin-island design to increase loading capacity and navigational visibility to ensure more efficiency and safety. The ship hull form optimization will further increase energy saving and reduce overall emissions. In addition, the ships are designed with shorter length and beam, which makes them easier to maneuver during berthing or departure. The new dimensions enable these ships to call at major ports worldwide and pass through new Panama Canal with no restriction, and facilitate greater flexibility in vessel deployment.
Yang Ming started taking delivery of these new vessels since 2020. A total of six newbuildings have been delivered and deployed on Yang Ming’s trans-Pacific services. These additions will help the company to accommodate increased customer needs and maximize capacity utilization. The series of new vessels will lower the average age of its global fleet, reduce unit cost and achieve energy efficiency. With the deliveries of these ships, Yang Ming can accelerate its fleet optimization plan and proactively cope with the challenges and stricter environmental regulations faced by the fast-changing shipping industry. These containerships will enable Yang Ming to enhance service quality, and deliver greater service to global customers.
YM Topmost will join THE Alliance’s trans-Pacific service PS6 on September 24th, the port rotation of PS6 is Qingdao – Ningbo – Pusan – Los Angeles – Oakland – Kobe – Qingdao