Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), South Korea’s largest shipping liner, launched last week one of its two newly built 11,000-TEU container ships that were retrofitted with sulfur oxide (SOx) scrubber systems.
The HMM Promise was launched July 5 in Busan, South Korea after being retrofitted with a scrubber system in preparation for the 2020 environmental regulations.
The retrofitting was done after the ships were first delivered to HMM last August from Subic-based Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction in the Philippines.
“The HMM Promise is the world’s first commercially operating mega container vessel of more than 11,000 TEUs equipped with a large scrubber system,” said an HMM official. It also features an engine designed to save fuel while ensuring optimal economic speed and performance.
HMM Promise will be deployed on the East Coast of South America, while the HMM Blessing, to be launched this week, will cover the West Coast of South America.
Originally ordered by Greek-based Oceanbulk Container Carriers in 2014, the ships were transferred to HMM as part of a resale transaction in 2017, according to data provided by VesselsValue.
Each of the 126,400 dwt box ships features a length of 317.33 meters and a width of 48.2 meters. Aside from scrubber systems, these ships were retrofitted with external lashing bridges to increase their standard capacity and accommodate more 40-foot containers on board.
Apart from the recently delivered container ship pair fitted with scrubbers, HMM is also reportedly planning to install exhaust gas cleaning systems on a number of its vessels.
The retrofitted HMM Blessing was handed over to its owner on June 26, while HMM Promise was delivered June 30.
HMM has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hyundai Heavy Industries, Panasia, and DSEC for scrubber retrofits, an HMM spokesperson said.
The ships also represent the first large container ships delivered to HMM after its ownership was shifted into the hands of state-run Korea Development Bank in August 2016.
HMM’s container ship capacity is now about 410,000 TEUs, one-tenth of the world’s largest container shipping company, Maersk Line.
Photo courtesy of HMM
