Giant containership runs aground off Southampton

The 17,859-TEU CMA CGM Vasco de Gama serving on the Ocean3 Alliance’s FAL 1 loop ran aground as it made its way to the Port of Southampton.    A 17,859-TEU containership operated by French ocean carrier CMA CGM ran aground just after midnight yesterday as it made its way to the Port of Southampton.
   The vessel, which was the CMA CGM Vasco de Gama, was refloated within an hour and proceeded to the port where an underwater survey will be conducted, maritime news outlet Splash 24/7 reported.
   In February, another ultra-large containership, the CSCL Indian Ocean, ran aground on a sandbank in the River Elbe outside Germany’s Port of Hamburg.
   Ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting illustrates the CMA CGM Vasco de Gama operates on the Ocean3 Alliance’s FAL1 loop between Asia and Europe.
   In addition to CMA CGM, the Ocean3 Alliance consists of UASC and CSCL.
   BlueWater reporting illustrates the FAL1 operates with a rotation of Southampton, Dunkirk, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Le Havre, Malta, Khor Fakkan, Dubai, Shanghai, Xingang, Dalian, Busan, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Port Kelang, Algeciras and Southampton.
   The FAL1 has increased its total sailing time from 84 days to 91 days round as vessels slow steam one extra week between Shanghai and Xingang on the return leg.
   Slot purchasers on the loop include Evergreen Line, COSCO, APL, FESCO, and CMA CGM’s subsidiary lines ANL and US Lines.
   The loop operates with 12 CMA CGM operated vessels with an average capacity of 16,367 TEUs, plus one void sailing.