Taiwan

Reporting on the latest developments from the Taiwanese maritime sector

Taiwan

Yang Ming adds 11,000 TEU ship YM Tutorial to transpacific service

Taiwanese shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp (Yang Ming) has welcomed its newest 11,000 TEU class container vessel, YM Tutorial. The vessel is chartered from Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd and built by Imabari Shipbuilding Co Ltd.

YM Tutorial was named at a ceremony held at Imabari Hiroshima Shipyard on June 17th and entered into Yang Ming’s transpacific West Coast route PS6 on July 15th.

To further strengthen Yang Ming’s mid-to long-term operational efficiency, the company ordered a total of fourteen 11,000 TEU newbuildings through long-term charter agreements with ship owners. YM Tutorial is the 12th vessel in the series.

These vessel types have a nominal capacity of 11,860 TEU and are equipped with 1,000 plugs for reefer containers. With a length of 334m, a width of 48m and a draft of 16m, these vessels are designed to cruise at a speed of up to 23 knots. The containerships incorporate various environmental features including scrubbers, water ballast treatment plant and alternative marine power systems.

The vessels in this newbuild project adopt the twin-island design to increase loading capacity and navigational visibility to ensure greater efficiency and safety. The ship design and build also includes hull form optimisation, which will further increase energy savings and reduce overall emissions.

Increased manoeuvrability

With shorter length and beam, the ship is easier to manoeuvre during berthing or departure. The optimal dimensions enable the ships to call at major ports worldwide and pass through the new Panama Canal with little restriction, thereby facilitating greater flexibility in vessel deployment.

Yang Ming has taken delivery of twelve vessels since 2020; eleven of which have been deployed on the company’s transpacific routes to meet customer needs and maximise capacity utilisation.

These newbuildings will lower the average age of Yang Ming’s global fleet, reduce unit cost and achieve energy efficiency. In addition, these ships will accelerate fleet optimisation to proactively cope with the challenges and stricter environmental regulations faced by the fast-changing shipping industry.

The port rotation for the first voyage of YM Tutorial in PS6 begins in Qingdao, before port calls in Ningbo, Pusan, Los Angeles and Kobe, before returning to Qingdao.

Yang Ming to launch Far EastLatin America service SA8

Following the news of the company’s latest newbuild delivery, in July 2022 Yang Ming announced the launch of its latest Far East - West Coast of Latin America (FE-WCSA, Loop code: SA8) service. The new service will offer customers broader service coverage and ensure more reliable services in FE-WCSA trade.

The new SA8 service is jointly operated by Yang Ming, WAN HAI LINES and Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd (PIL). A fleet of eight 2,400-3,700 TEU vessels will be deployed on the weekly service; two of them are from Yang Ming. The first sailing of the SA8 service commenced from Ningbo on 13th July, 2022 with a round trip scheduled to take 70 days.

The SA8 port rotation leaves port at Ningbo before heading to Shanghai, Qingdao, Pusan, Manzanillo, Lazaro Cardenas, Puerto Quetzal, Buenaventura and Valparaiso before returning to Ningbo.

Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation (Yang Ming) was established on December 28th 1972. As of June of 2022, Yang Ming operated a fleet of 93 vessels with a 7.684 million DWT and an operating capacity of 683,000 TEUS, specialising (not exclusively) in container ships. n