The AIN SNAN was delivered after a nine-month building phase in January of this year. The UMM SALAL, the first of nine UASC new builds in this size class already went into service in June 2011. During the course of the first five months of this year all nine vessels have been delivered from the builder Samsung Heavy Industries Shipyard in Korea, with whom the order was placed in July 2008.
The 366-metre-long and 48 metre-wide ultra large container ship (ULCS) has a loading capacity of over 145,000 DWT (dead weight tonnage), providing a capacity of more than 800 slots for refrigerated containers.
The ship is deployed on the AEC8 Far East – Red Sea – Europe Service in which CMA CGM and CSCL shipping lines are also partners which they market as FAL 2 / AEX 7.
In addition, Yang Ming, Hanjin, COSCO, have booked slots on this service. The port rotation is: Hamburg, Zeebrügge, Jeddah, Port Klang, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Hong Kong, Yantian, Port Klang, Jeddah, Le Havre, Rotterdam, Hamburg.
UASC invited around 100 customers, shipping company representatives, as well as the terminal operator Eurogate to the naming ceremony. During the reception it was possible to visit the containership. The Deputy Harbour Master, Andreas Brummermann personally on board for the ship’s naming ceremony, welcomed the Captain, Nazr Ul Islam and presented him with a plaque bearing the Admiralty Coat of Arms of the Port of Hamburg.
In the presence of UASC Vice President Europe, Bjarne Ehlig-Jensen, the naming ceremony was carried out by Emanuel Schiffer (Eurogate Management). The AIN SNAN was named with water from Zamzam spring in Mecca, Saudi-Arabia. These waters are said to rise from Paradise and have healing powers.
Being on her maiden voyage 13,500 TEU vessel MALIK AL ASHTAR, a sister ship of the AIN SNAN, moored at HHLA Container Terminal Burchardkai at the same time and therefore joined the ceremony from over there.
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Source: Port of Hamburg, May 25, 2012; Image: HHM