South Korea's HMM has illustrated the rebound in container demand by revealing that it filled all 12 of the world's biggest boxships on their first voyages.
The liner operator said the fleet of 24,000-teu giants has been stacked to capacity after being delivered from Samsung Heavy Industries and DSME between May and September.
The last of these huge vessels — the HMM St Petersburg — left for Europe from the Port of Yantian in China with 19,529 teu on board on 30 September.
The series began with the HMM Algeciras, which carried a total of 19,621 teu from Asia to Europe in May. This remains a record for the biggest number of boxes ever carried.
This vessel, and sisterships HMM Oslo and HMM Copenhagen, have also now embarked on their second journeys filled to the brim with export shipments from Asia to Europe.
Maximum limits being tested
HMM said: "Considering the safety of vessel operations and cargo weight, the maximum loadable capacity of each 24,000-teu ship stands at around 19,300 teu on average."
However, the company has been exceeding this figure on all 12 vessels, with teu totals ranging from 19,500 to the record level of 19,621 teu.
HMM chief executive Jae-hoon Bae said: "This is a major milestone for us to expand our presence in the global market in close cooperation with THE Alliance."
He added: "I am delighted that our efforts and dedication have come to fruition, which gave us a much-needed uplift. We will take a big step forward to prove what we are capable of in the years ahead."
HMM returned to profit in the second quarter, achieving operating earnings of $115m and a net result of $23m, despite high volatility due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The company said it would seek to enhance its profitability based on the seamless operation of the 24,000-teu vessels, the realignment of service routes, and a string of cost-cutting measures.
The huge new boxships cost more than $155m each.
The fleet expansion deal was signed in 2018 with three shipyards: Samsung Heavy Industries, DSME and Hyundai Heavy Industries, which is only building eight 16,000-teu ships, not the bigger class.
