Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), President Koichi Muto, has stated the fact that the company has concluded an agreement for the building of four 20,000 TEU containerships. The deal’s counterpart is Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), President and CEO Dae-young Park and headquartered in Seoul, Korea.

Furthermore, MOL has completed a MOU for long-term certification of two 20,000 TEU containerships with Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd (The latter’s President is Yukito Higaki and the company is headquartered in Imabari-shi, Ehime Prefecture). The construction of the two containerships will take place at Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. with President Yukito Higaki and headquartered in Imabari-shi, Ehime Prefecture. The six containerships will be both started and delivered in 2017. They will be put into operation for the Asia-Europe service.

The 20,000 TEU type is the largest international one compared with other containerships that have been ordered and delivered. The vessels that are currently being built will possess different extremely advanced energy-saving technologies. Thus this will additionally decrease both their price and consumption of fuel compared to 14,000 TEU types that MOL presently uses. The future alterations of the model make possible the LNG fuel usage which is a characteristics of the central engines. MOL proceeds with providing both competitive and high-class services via the expansion of its vessels.

The main characteristics of the two shipbuilding companies- Samsung Heavy Industries and Imabari Shipbuilding are the same. They provide vessels with length of 400.0m, breadth of 58.8m, designed draft of 14.5m, freight draft of 16.0m, TEU capacity of 20,150 TEU and main engine- MAN B&W G95ME. However the comparison between different MOLs as 8,000 TEUs, 14,000 TEUs and 20,000 TEUs produces different results. The depth of the first is 25.0m with LOA 316m, the depth of the second is 29.89m with LOA 368m and the depth of the third is 32.8m with LOA 400m.

Source & Image: MOL