MSC Isabella: biggest box ship cargo call in the UK

MSC Isabella is the sister ship of MSC Gülsün, the world’s largest container ship, and forms part of a new class of 23,000+ TEU vessels to be added in 2019-2020 to the global shipping network of MSC.

Built at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) shipyard in South Korea and delivered in August 2019, and at around 400 m long and 61 m wide, MSC Isabella can carry 23,656 TEU.

A ceremony held in October at the Port of Felixstowe marked the first time MSC has named a container ship in the UK.

MSC UK managing director Dan Everitt commented “Today is a truly momentous occasion for MSC UK and I feel so proud to stand alongside our people, our customers and suppliers to witness not only the biggest ever cargo call to the Port of Felixstowe, but MSC’s first-ever vessel naming ceremony here in the UK.

“When I first joined MSC in 1984 at just 17 years old, the largest MSC vessel at that time was MSC Alexandra at 650 TEU. MSC Isabella is more than 23,000 TEU larger which just shows the sheer scale and growth of MSC and the maritime industry over the past three decades.

“It’s a really exciting time for MSC in the UK having recently expanded our local headquarters through acquiring a third building in Ipswich, Suffolk and we are extremely grateful to the MSC Group for their global investment and commitment to UK operations.”

MSC Isabella can carry more than 2,000 refrigerated containers, boosting the trade of food, drink, pharmaceuticals and other chilled and frozen items between Asia and Europe.

MSC Isabella features a remarkable approach to energy efficiency with the shape of the bow designed to enhance energy efficiency by reducing hull resistance. State-of-the-art engineering minimises wind resistance, resulting in lower fuel consumption.

MSC Isabella’s improved energy efficiency and fuel economy ensure that MSC is on track to meet international 2030 environmental policy targets set by IMO ahead of time. The ship is also equipped with a hybrid exhaust gas cleaning system and has the option of switching to low-sulphur fuel, or to be adapted for LNG in the future.

This new class of ships is equipped with a dual-tower fire-fighting system with high-capacity pumps to further enhance the safety of seafarers on board and protect cargo carried across the whole deck of the ship.

A statement adds “MSC Isabella, together with its 10 sister ships, are also all designed to meet the next steps in digital shipping. Enabling fast data transmission to shore and connection for smart containers helps make the shipping experience more transparent, safe and reliable for our customers.”