CMA CGM makes record $1.2 billion order with HHI for 8 11,400-TEU ships

CMA CGM makes record $1.2 billion order with HHI for 8 11,400-TEU ships    France’s CMA CGM, the third-largest container line in the world, has placed the biggest ever single order for containerships with a $1.2 billion order for eight 11,400-TEU vessels from Korean shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).
   The ships, scheduled for delivery between mid-2009 and mid-2010, will be 363 meters (1,191 feet) long, 45.6 meters (150 feet) wide, with a hull depth of 29.7 meters (97.4 feet). They will be fitted with a 98,000 bhp engines giving service speeds of 24.7 knots.
   The CMA CGM ships' dimensions provide conclusive proof of A.P. Moller-Maersk’s downgrading of its declared ship TEU capacity. The Danish group announced the recently launched “Emma Maersk” — which is 397 meters (1,302.5 feet) long, 56 meters (183.7 feet) wide and 30 meters (98.4 feet) deep — with a capacity of 11,000 TEUs. It is thought the “Emma Maersk” is more likely in the 13,000 to 16,000-TEU range.
   In July, Israel’s Zim Integrated Shipping Services placed the previous record $1.1 billion order with HHI on four 10,000-TEU ships and four 8,200-TEU vessels to be delivered in the second half of 2009.
   This year, HHI has won orders for a total of 115 vessels worth $12.1 billion. Its backlog of existing orders comes to 340-plus ships worth $33 billion, which will keep it busy for at least three years, HHI said.