GUDRUN MAERSK

Until the delivery of the Emma Maersk a year ago, the Gudrun Maersk (IMO: 9302877, Port of Registry: Svenborg, Denmark) was, together with her sisters Gjertrud Maersk, Gerd Maersk, Grete Maersk, Gunvor Maersk and Georg Maersk, the longest containership sailing at that time. The Gudrun Maersk is 367 meters long, 43 meters wide and is capable of transporting 8,500 teu. With these capacities the Gudrun Maersk comes to a deadweight tonnage of 115,700.

The vessel entered the Maersk fleet in June 2005 and was built by Odense Steel Shipyard, Denmark. Currently this Post-Panamax ship is sailing on the Far East - Europe line on which it visits, amongst others, Busan, Dalian, Shanghai, Gioia Tauro, Bremerhaven and of course Rotterdam. The Gudrun Maersk is scheduled to arrive later this evening in Rotterdam at the APM terminal from Bremerhaven, Germany. The next port of call will be Felixstowe and from there she will sail towards the Far East. The vessel will return in Rotterdam within two months.

CMA CGM PARSIFAL & COSCO NAPOLI

Today we have two sistervessels arriving at Rotterdam, the Cosco Napoli (IMO: 9305489, Port of Registry: Monrovia, Liberia) and CMA CGM Parsifal (IMO: 9318060, Port of Registry: Monrovia, Liberia). Both vessels were built in 2006 by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries in 2006 and are currently owned by E.R. Schiffahrt, Hamburg, Germany. They are 335 metres long, almost 43 metres wide and have a maximum teu capacity of 8,200, which give the vessels a deadweight tonnage of about 101,500.
The Cosco Napoli is currently deployed on Cosco's AE-1 loop between South-Eastern Asia and Europe. She is scheduled to arrive this afternoon at the ECT terminal, Rotterdam from Singapore and will depart tomorrow with destination Felixstowe.The CMA CGM Parsifal is scheduled to arrive at Rotterdam this evening from Hamburg.

ADRIAN MAERSK

The Adrian Maersk (IMO: 9260457, flag: Denmark) is a Series S type vessel of the A.P. Moller group. The vessel was built in 2004 by Odense Steel Shipyard, Denmark. The Adrian Maersk is 352 meters long, almost 43 meters wide and has a deadweight of 109.000 tons. She is capable of transporting about 9,000 teu and sails on the Asia-Europe-Asia route.

The Adrian Maersk is scheduled to arrive later this afternoon at the APM terminal, Rotterdam from Bremerhaven if weather permits. She will depart tomorrow heading for the Far East.

EBBA MAERSK

The Ebba Maersk (IMO: 9321524, Port of Registry: Copenhagen, Denmark) is the already the fifth in line of Maersk PS-class. Together with her sisters (amongst which are the 'Emma Maersk' and 'Evelyn Maersk') she is the largest containership ever with a total teu capacity 11,000 teu (of which 1,000 forty foot reefer containers) according to the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group. Rumours are that a total capacity of 13,500 teu is also possible. This capacity is possible by stacking the containers in 22 rows wide. The vessel is 397 meters long, 56 meters wide, has a depth of 30 meters and a deadweight of 156,907 tons. Amazingly, all this size and capacity requires a crew of only 13. The specially designed Wärtsilä diesel engine delivers 80,000 kW. A waste heat recovery system is installed to optimise the use of the energy produced, so that the engine can deliver up to 90,000 kW. The vessels in this series have also established new standards for safety and environmental responsibility. Environmentally-safe silicone paint, for example, is used on the hull, below the water line, reducing water resistance, and thereby fuel consumption, by 1,200 tons per year. The ship was launched at Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd in May 2007.

The Ebba Maersk has arrived last night at the APM terminal, Rotterdam from Aarhus on her maiden trip. The vessel will then set sail for Bremerhaven on the APM AE1 line. She will return within about 7 weeks to Rotterdam.

ALBERT MAERSK

The Albert Maersk (IMO:9260469, Port of Registry: Copenhagen) is a Post-Panamax, Series S, container vessel owned by A.P. Møller-Maersk. The vessel was built in 2004 by Odense Steel Shipyard, Denmark as the 25th in line of 29 almost identical ships. She is 352 metres long, 43 metres wide, has a maximum draught of 15 metres and a maximum official teu capacity of 6,600 but believed to carry a maximum of up to 10,000 teu. For whatever reason, Maersk is always vague about their teu capacities.

The Albert Maersk is scheduled to arrive this evening at the APM terminal, Rotterdam from Bremerhaven. Her next port of call will be Algeciras. The Albert Maersk is scheduled to return to Rotterdam in two months.

GRAND PRINCESS

Today the Grand Princess will visit Rotterdam today coming in from Le Havre. The Grand Princess is one of the bigger cruisers at this time with a length of almost 290 meters, a width of 40 meters and a full capacity of 2.600 passengers. The vessel was built in 1998 by Fincantieri Shipyards in Monfalcone, Italy. She is equipped with several dining rooms and restaurants, bars, the largest casino afloat, a show lounge, a pool (of course), a spa, a nine-hole putting course (!), duty-free boutiques, a wedding chapel and, the most remarkable feature, the Skywalkers Nightclub at the back of the ship at 15 decks above the sea.

The Grand Princess will continue sailing through Europe until December. The vessel's next voyage will be a round trip England with destinations in Norway, Iceland and Northern Ireland. Should you be interested, prices start at about € 800 per person.

You can see a live picture from the bridge below:

CHICAGO EXPRESS

The Chicago Express (IMO: 9295268, Port of Registry: Hamburg) is 336 metres long, 43 metres wide, has a maximum draught of 14.5 metres, a deadweight tonnage of 104,000 and a teu capacity of 8750. She was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea in 2006 and is currently owned by Hapag Lloyd, Germany for whom she is currently deployed on the EU3 service between China and Europe. Her sister vessels are the Kyoto Express and Colombo Express.

The Chicago Express is scheduled to enter the Port of Rotterdam later this evening with the last port of call at Hamburg. She will depart tomorrow with destination Port Kelang, Malaysia and will return to Rotterdam within two months.

XIN SHANGHAI

The Xin Shanghai (IMO: 9307231, Port of Registry: Hong Kong) is one of the largest containervessels currently sailing with its length of 336.7 metres, width of 45.6 metres and a maximum draught of 15 metres. She can carry a maximum of 18 rows of containers by eight tiers on the weather deck and 16 rows by 10 tiers in the holds which gives the vessel a total capacity of 9,600 teu. The ship is propelled by an MAN B&W 12K98MC-C Mk6 engine, with a power of 68,520 kW. During sea trials the ship achieved a ballast service speed of 25.4 knots. The CSCL Pusan and Xin Los Angeles are her sistervessels.

The Xin Shanghai is scheduled to enter the port of Rotterdam from Le Havre this morning. She will berth at the ECT terminal, Rotterdam and depart with destination Hamburg tomorrow. She will return to Rotterdam within two months.

COSCO GUANGZHOU

Today's Ship of the Day is the Cosco Guangzhou (IMO: 9305570, Port of Registry: Piraeus, Greece) which is one of the largest container vessels nowadays, together with her sisters: Cosco Hellas, Cosco Ningbo, Cosco Beijing and Cosco Yantian. Only the in 2005 and 2006 built Maersk S-class vessels (amongst which are the Emma Maersk, Estelle Maersk and Eleonora Maersk) and three in 2006 for CSCL built containervessels are larger. This post-panamax container vessel is 350 metres long, almost 43 metres wide, has a deadweight tonnage of 107,000 and a teu capacity of 9,500. The Cosco Guangzhou is currently sailing on the AE1-loop which connects Asia and Europe.

The vessel is scheduled to arrive this afternoon at the ECT Terminal, Rotterdam, with the last port of call at Singapore. She will leave tomorrow for Felixstowe, Hamburg and Antwerp before returning to the Far East.

CONSTANCE N

The Constance N (IMO: 8210211, Port of Registry: Monrovia, Liberia, ex. name: Gargantua) is a 315 metres long, 50 metres wide bulk carrier with a deadweight of 224,666 tons. She was built in 1983 by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan, is currently owned by General Ore Carrier Corporation VII and managed by Neu Seeschiffahrt.

The Constance N is scheduled to arrive later this evening at the EMO terminal, Rotterdam carrying ore from Tubarao, Brasil.

IRAN DARAB

The Iran Darab (IMO: 9218492, Port of Registry: Bushehr, Iran) is a 333 meters long, 58 meters wide crude oil tanker with a draught of 22 meters and a deadweight of almost 300,000 tons. The vessel was built in 2004 by Dalian New Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co. Ltd., Dalian, China and is owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC). Her sister vessels are the Iran Damavand, Iran Daylam, Iram Delvar and Iran Dena. The tanker has 5 port, 5 center and 5 starboard tanks, has a pump capacity of 16,500 m3/h and is propelled by a Hanjung Sulzer diesel engine.

The Iran Darab is scheduled to arrive later this evening at the MOT oil terminal, Rotterdam from Khark Island, Iran.

ALSTER N

The Alster N (IMO: 8418162, Port of Registry: Panama, Ex.name: Alster Ore) is a bulk carrier owned by General Ore Carrier Corporation III limited, Panama and managed by Neu Seeschiffahrt GmbH, Germany. The vessel was built in 1988 by China Shipbuilding Corporation, Taiwan. Her sister vessel is the Ruhr N. Other bulk carriers managed by Neu Seeschiffahrt are: Faith N and Alfred N. The Alster N is 340 metres long, 57 metres wide and has a maximum draught of 22 metres. All these dimensions ensure a deadweight tonnage of 305,893.
The Alster N has entered the Port of Rotterdam this morning with a last port of call at Tubarao, Brasil. She will be berthed at the EECV terminal and will stay there for about 5 days discharging iron ore.

COSCO BEIJING

The Cosco Beijing (IMO: 9308508, Port of Registry: Piraeus) is one of the largest container vessels nowadays, together with its sisters: Cosco Hellas, Cosco Ningbo, Cosco Yantian and Cosco Guangzhou. Only the in 2005 and 2006 built Maersk PS-class vessels (amongst which are the Emma Maersk, Estelle Maersk and Eleonora Maersk) and three in 2006 for CSCL built containervessels are larger in gross tonnage. The vessel is 350 metres long, almost 43 metres wide, has a deadweight tonnage of 107,000 and a teu capacity of 9,450. The Cosco Beijing is currently sailing on the AE1-loop which connects Asia and Europe.

The Cosco Beijing is expected to arrive later this afternoon at the ECT Terminal, Rotterdam, with the last port of call at Singapore. The vessel will leave tomorrow for Felixstowe, Hamburg and Antwerp before returning to the Far East.

EVELYN MAERSK

The Evelyn Maersk (IMO: 9321512, Port of Registry: Copanhagen, Denmark) is, together with her sisters (amongst which are the 'Emma Maersk' and 'Eleonora Maersk'), the largest containership ever with a total teu capacity 11,000 teu (of which 1,000 forty foot reefer containers) according to the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group. Rumours are that a total capacity of 13,500 teu is also possible. This capacity is possible by stacking the containers in 22 rows wide. The vessel is 397 meters long, 56 meters wide, has a depth of 30 meters and a deadweight of 156,907 tons. Amazingly, all this size and capacity requires a crew of only 13. The specially designed Wärtsilä diesel engine delivers 80,000 kW. A waste heat recovery system is installed to optimise the use of the energy produced, so that the engine can deliver up to 90,000 kW. The vessels in this series will also establish new standards for safety and environmental responsibility. Environmentally-safe silicone paint, for example, is used on the hull, below the water line, reducing water resistance, and thereby fuel consumption, by 1,200 tons per year. The ship was launched at Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd on March 3rd 2007.

The Evelyn Maersk is scheduled to arrive later this afternoon at the APM terminal, Rotterdam from Algeciras. The vessel will then set sail for Bremerhaven on the APM AE1 line. She will return within about 7 weeks to Rotterdam.

RHINE FOREST

The Liberian flagged Rhine Forest (IMO: 7125706) is 237 meters long, 33 meters wide and has a draught of 12 meters. The vessel is a so called LASH ship. LASH, an acronym for Lighter Aboard SHip, vessels each carry about 82 LASH barges. The barges, all of a standard size with cargo capacity of 385 tons, are towed in ports and on inland waterways to various shipping points where they are loaded with cargo and then returned to the oceangoing vessel. They are hoisted aboard by a special shipboard gantry-type crane and transported overseas where the process is reversed. LASH ships do not require special docks or terminals.

The Rhine Forest is equipped with a 500-ton gantry crane to lift and stow 83 barges. Each barge is 18.26 meters long and 9.16 meters wide and has a capacity of 385 metric tons. She was built in 1972 by Cockerill Mechanical Industries, Belgium and is currently owned by LCI Shipholding Inc., New Orleans and managed by Central Gulf Lines Inc., New Orleans.

The Rhine Forest will enter the port of Rotterdam this morning and will berth at the Waalhaven for a few days. The vessel will then leave for New Orleans and will return to Rotterdam in 6 weeks

For more great pictures of the Rhine Forest see the (Dutch) site of Peter Bolhuis: http://members.lycos.nl/scheepvaart/fourdescphotos3.html