MSC Gülsün: biggest-ever box ship sets a ‘new standard’

MSC Gülsün is the first of a new class of 23,000+ TEU vessels to be added MSC’s fleet in 2019-2020.

Built at Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) Geoje shipyard in South Korea, MSC said “MSC Gülsün sets a new standard in container shipping, in particular in terms of environmental performance”.

At 400 m long and more than 60 m wide, MSC Gülsün has a record capacity for a container ship: 23,756 TEU. Bigger ships generally emit less CO₂ per container carried, helping companies which move goods on MSC’s services between Asia and Europe to lower the carbon footprint of their supply chains.

The vessel is equipped with more than 2,000 refrigerated containers, boosting the trade of food, drink, pharmaceutical and other chilled and frozen items between Asia and Europe.

MSC said in a statement that this new class has been designed with a wide range of environmental, efficiency, stability and safety matters in mind.

It added “MSC Gülsün 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 Gülsün’s improved energy efficiency and fuel economy ensure MSC is on track to meet international 2030 environmental policy targets set by IMO ahead of time, building on a 13% improvement in CO₂ emissions per tonne of cargo moved already achieved across the MSC fleet between 2015 and 2018.

The ship is 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.

MSC said this new class of ships is equipped with double hull protection around the engine, as well as a 3D hull condition assessment program. A dual-tower fire-fighting system with high-capacity pumps has been installed to further enhance the safety of seafarers on board and protect cargo carried across the whole deck of the ship.

MSC Gülsün 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 help make the shipping experience more transparent, safe and reliable for our customers.

SHI will deliver six of the new class of ships, while Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering is constructing the other five, also in South Korea.

As part of its maiden voyage, the ship docked at MSC Gate terminal in Bremerhaven.

Port management company bremenports managing director Robert Howe said “The first port call at the MSC Gate Terminal demonstrates that Container Terminal Bremerhaven is capable of offering the next generation of container ships a custom-fit infrastructure. We will continue to be a reliable and competent partner in the competition between locations. To do so, we will need to carry out further adjustment measures on the quaysides. Together with the terminal operators, we are gearing ourselves up for this.”