HMM's First Temporary Vessel Departure This Year... "Supporting Domestic Export Logistics"

The 6800 TEU-class container ship 'HMM Hong Kong' is loading cargo from domestic export companies at Gwangyang Port.

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] HMM announced on the 9th that its first temporary vessel of the year has set sail to support the smooth export of domestic companies.

The 6800 TEU-class container ship "HMM Hong Kong," which departed from Gwangyang Port, is carrying cargo from domestic export companies and is scheduled to arrive at the Port of Tacoma, USA, on the 22nd of this month.

In addition to the "HMM Hong Kong," which set sail for the first time this year, HMM plans to deploy a total of five temporary vessels this month, including "HMM Auckland," "SKY Rainbow," "HMM Antwerp," and "HMM Ulsan," and is considering additional deployments depending on the situation.

In particular, the "HMM Antwerp" and "HMM Ulsan," scheduled to be deployed on the 24th and 27th respectively, are multi-purpose vessels (MPV) that will sail to New York on the US East Coast and, for the first time as temporary vessels, to Houston.

Generally, MPVs transport ultra-large special cargo and heavy cargo such as petrochemical facilities and power generation equipment, but they can also carry containers if necessary. Due to the global shortage of shipping capacity, HMM is unable to secure new vessels, but to coexist with domestic shippers, it is deploying temporary vessels by mobilizing all available ships in addition to existing container ships.

Until the end of last year, HMM deployed more than 60 temporary vessels on a weekly basis in sections with insufficient capacity, including the US West and East Coasts, Europe, Russia, Australia, Vietnam, and India. Additionally, from December 2020 to last year, it provided a total of 16,957 TEU of dedicated capacity for small and medium export shippers.

An HMM official stated, "As a national shipping company, we will do our best to ensure that export companies' cargo is transported safely with a sense of responsibility."