HMM held a naming ceremony for the HMM Garnet, a 13,000 TEU container ship, on Jan. 24.
The HMM Garnet, built to enhance HMM’s eco-friendly competitiveness and diversify its fleet, is the first delivered vessel of the 12 13,000 TEU container ships in contracts signed with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (six units) and Hanwha Ocean (six units) in June 2021.
The HMM Garnet is 335 meters long. If it was stood on end, it would tower over Seoul Tower in Namsan, which is about 240 meters tall, and the Yeouido 63 Building, which is about 250 meters tall. In addition, as a vessel specialized in low-speed operations, it can reduce pollutant emissions compared to existing ships of the same class and operate economically by boosting its fuel efficiency. It has an LNG-ready format so that it can be converted to an LNG-powered ship in the future to reduce carbon emissions.
In particular, The HMM Garnet is powered by smart ship technology. Smart ship technology enables crew members to monitor their ship’s status from the ship’s general control room in real time. Its communication capabilities have been greatly enhanced to make extensive use of satellite and land-based communication networks. In addition, a mobile networking environment has been set up to check the ship’s status in real time from anywhere on the ship, and security features have been further strengthened to ensure a stable communication environment.
“With today’s naming ceremony, we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with global shipping giants and contribute to the Korean shipping industry and the Korean economy,” said Kim Kyung-bae, president of HMM.
The HMM Garnet will be deployed on the East Coast 1 (EC1) route between the United States and China. The EC1 route is shared with members of The Alliance.
Starting with this vessel, HMM will take delivery of a total of 12 container ships from HD HHI and Hanwha Ocean by the end of this year.
Once all deliveries are completed, HMM’s fleet will total more than 1 million TEUs. In particular, ultra-large vessels of 10,000 TEUs and above will account for 80 percent of HMM’s total fleet, further enhancing the shipping company’s cost competitiveness and efficiency. HMM is the only global shipping company with more than 80 percent of its fleet belonging to the 10,000 TEU class.