Largest Ever Vessel Calls at DP World Southampton on Maiden Voyage

UK – DP World Southampton is waiting to welcome the largest ship ever to call at the container terminal there. On her maiden voyage to the UK, the HMM Oslo stretches to just 100 millimetres short of 400 metres, making her longer than the Shard in London is tall. The giant vessel is 61.5 metres wide and has a capacity of 23,820 TEU.

This new class of HMM ships is under construction in South Korea with a total of five ordered from Samsung Heavy Industries and seven from the fractionally larger HMM Algeciras class being built at Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine and Engineering. The Oslo is due to dock in the early hours of Friday 26 June whilst her sister ship the HMM Algeciras, called at DP World’s sibling port London Gateway in Essex just last week.

Having visited ports in China, Singapore and Rotterdam en route, the HMM Oslo will depart DP World Southampton on Saturday 27 June carrying British exports on her return journey home, via France, Germany, The Netherlands and Singapore, but not until her captain has been welcomed with a maiden call plaque at a small, socially-distant presentation on the quayside. Ernst Schulze, UK Chief Executive Officer, DP World, said:

“With two deep water ports, DP World in the UK can accommodate the world’s biggest ships both at DP World Southampton and at DP World London Gateway. This call at Southampton by HMM Oslo, following closely after the call of the HMM Algeciras at London Gateway earlier this month, is testament to DP World’s role as global trade enabler. We thank HMM for choosing DP World in the UK to berth this class of vessel.

"The HMM Oslo joins around 200 other container ships that have called at DP World Southampton during the lockdown since March, keeping essential food, fuel and medicines flowing to sustain the country. Our ongoing investment and innovation mean that we are well-placed to support an economic recovery which is not just strong but also green and sustainable.”

HMM, until April better known as Hyundai Merchant Marine, launched its first service with three VLCCs (Very Large Crude Carriers) in 1976, since when it has branched out, first by adding numerous vessels of different classes, from bulk and product carriers to trampers and box ships, and now ranks in the top ten largest container lines. Peter Livey, Managing Director (Gt. Britain) for HMM, said:

“The deployment of these Megamax-24 vessels is a major milestone for HMM, and we are delighted that the first of these to call at Southampton, the HMM Oslo, has arrived this week. HMM vessels have used DP World Southampton for a number of years, and we are pleased that the biggest container ships in the world are now calling at DP World facilities in both Southampton, and at DP World London Gateway.

“Ships of this size give us the capacity and flexibility to get our customers’ goods to the right place at the right time. Working across both Gateway and Southampton, we have great coverage of the UK market and service teams ready to match cargoes and slots to customers’ needs.

“These Megamax-24 ships are ground-breaking, not just in their size, but in world leading environmental performance too. Their optimised hull design and highly energy-efficient engines make a significant leap forward in reducing CO₂ and other emissions. It’s all part of our long-term goal to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions across our container fleet by 2050.”