Mathilde Maersk Largest Vessel to Call Vietnam
Vietnam has witnessed the largest ship ever to call at her shores. The Mathilde Maersk made its inaugural call as part of Maersk Line’s new direct service between South Vietnam and the U.S. West Coast on its Trans-Pacific 6 string (TP6) on 11 May 2010.
Mathilde Maersk measures 1,204 ft long and can carry about 9,000 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent unit). Together with 13 sister ships, this post-Panamax class vessel will call at the SP-PSA International Port in Vung Tau, a deepwater facility located 80 km south of Ho Chi Minh City near the mouth of the Cai Mep-Thi Vai River as part of the direct call.
The direct TP6 weekly service will have a Wednesday sailing from Vung Tau, providing an optimal Monday evening cargo closing for exporters, and a Sunday arrival into Los Angeles, California, USA with a transit time of just 18 days.
The TP6 service is one of seven trans-Pacific strings that Maersk Line offers in its global network.
Built in 2009, Mathilde Maersk is designed with energy-efficient construction of its hull, propeller and engines. It is also equipped with a sophisticated waste heat recovery system that enables waste heat to be used for propulsion, thereby significantly reducing fuel consumption.