MSC hosted a naming ceremony for its largest container vessel MSC Michel Cappellini at the MSC Gate Terminal in Bremerhaven, Germany in mid-July 2023.
The container ship has a container capacity of 24,346 TEUs, a length of 400m and a width of 61.5m. The vessel employs a small bulbous bow, large diameter propellers and energy-saving ducts, which will help to further reduce fuel consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
MSC Michel Cappellini and her sister ships are also built with an air lubrication system to reduce drag on the hull, as well as shaft generators to yield additional power.
Prior to the naming ceremony, the Swiss/Italian shipping company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Free and Hanseatic Cities of Bremen and Hamburg and their ports, agreeing on the use of shore power for MSC’s vessels in both ports.
In his welcome speech, MSC CEO Soren Toft highlighted the importance of Bremerhaven to MSC as a European cargo hub:
“The ports in Bremen are such an important cargo hub for us in Germany and in Northwest Europe. It is truly a strategic location for MSC, and home to over 370 of our colleagues. However, our connection with Germany goes deeper than trade. This is the third naming ceremony of an MSC vessel since 2015, and the second in Bremerhaven. It is therefore by no surprise that we continue to grow with our customers in Germany.”
Soren continued: “Efficiency and innovation are two drivers that led to the development of the MSC Michel Cappellini. Through innovation, we seek to shift the boundaries of what is possible and surpass our own industry-breaking milestones, a process of continuous evolution. Both, as a family company and as the leader of our industry, we are very mindful of MSC’s key role in decarbonising the logistics value chain, and the benchmark we set for others in our industry.”
The ship’s blessing was conducted by Provost Dr. Bernhard Stecker, who has led the Catholic Community Association Bremen since 2019 and is the head of the Catholic Office in Bremen, the liaison office of the Catholic Church to the Bremen Senate and the Bremen Parliament in the state.
After the blessing, Godmother Cindy-Jo Cappellini performed the christening of the ship by cutting the ribbon and smashing a bottle of champagne against the hull.
Photo by Hans Esveldt/shipspotting.com
