With the first call of the HMM Hamburg another ship of the so-called “Megamax-24 class” headed for the port of Hamburg on September first. The HMM Hamburg is one of 12 new container ships of the South Korean liner shipping company HMM (formerly Hyundai Merchant Marine) that are being delivered since April. The mega-carrier is expected to berth at HHLA Container Terminal Burchardkai until September 3, 2020.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to welcome the HMM Hamburg to our port for the first time. All members of the HMM branch in Hamburg, which has been in existence for almost 30 years, are particularly proud of this first call. This naming manifests the special relationship between South Korea and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,” says James Kim, Managing Director of HMM (Germany) GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg.

With a slot capacity of 23,964 TEU (20-foot standard container), the HMM Hamburg and its sister ships are the largest container ships in the world, according to the shipping company. The giant vessel is 400 metres long and 61 metres wide and 12 containers can be stowed above and below the deck as well as 24 rows of containers across the board.

The HMM Hamburg is deployed on THE Alliance’s FE-3 service between Asia and Europe and will be calling at the Port of Hamburg four times a year. The shipping alliance THE Alliance comprises shipping companies Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express (ONE), Yang Ming and HMM.

“We are, of course, very pleased that one of the largest container ships in the world is named after the Port of Hamburg and that we were able to welcome HMM Hamburg to Hamburg. With the Elbe fairway adjustment, which will be completed shortly, the approach of large ships will be much easier in the future”, says Axel Mattern, CEO Port of Hamburg Marketing.

Port of Hamburg is connected to South Korea via eight liner services – three container services and five multipurpose services. Last year, 255.000 TEU were transported between the Hanseatic City and the South Korean ports of Busan and Masan. South Korea has been one of the Port of Hamburg’s most important trading partners for many years.