German container shipping major Hapag-Lloyd held a naming ceremony for Valparaíso Express, the first of five newbuildings in the company’s new 10,500 TEU class, on December 7, 2016.
Named at the Terminal Pacifico Sur (TPS) in the port of Valparaíso, Chile, the 118,945 gross ton Valparaíso Express was built by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries.
The boxship will sail in the revised Europe – South America West Coast service of Hapag-Lloyd in which four of the five newbuildings are replacing older Panamax ships. A second Panamax size loop (SW2) and two slot charter agreements (EW1 and EW2) in the same trade lane will be terminated, according to the company.
“This way, Hapag-Lloyd can deploy more efficient vessels between North Europe and South America West Coast without adding significant capacity to the market. The new SW is a premium service in this trade covering the major markets in North Europe, the Caribbean and West Coast South America,” Hapag-Lloyd said.
The roundtrip of the Valparaíso Express will take nine weeks with the following port rotation: Rotterdam (Netherlands), London (UK), Hamburg (Germany), Antwerp (Belgium), Le Havre (France), Caucedo (Dominican Republic), Cartagena (Colombia), Manzanillo (Panama), Buenaventura (Colombia), Callao (Peru), Puerto Angamos, Valparaíso (Chile), Callao, Buenaventura, Manzanillo (Panama), Cartagena, Caucedo and Rotterdam.
The second vessel from the series ordered in April 2015 was delivered to Hapag-Lloyd at the Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries shipyard also on December 7, Hapag-Lloyd revealed.
The remaining three ships are expected to be delivered by April 2017, the company said.
All five ships, featuring a length of 333 meters and a width of 48 meters, will sail under the German flag and are classified by DNVGL.
Exclusive insights into our new vessel, the Valparaiso Express, capable of carrying up to 10,500 TEU! #HLPassion pic.twitter.com/8aNiEi8Wpa
— Hapag-Lloyd AG (@HapagLloydAG) December 6, 2016