A 22-year-old post-panamax containerships belonging to AP Moller-Maersk has become the largest boxship ever sent for demolition.
The Danish shipping giant confirmed it is sending the 9,600-teu Sine Maersk (built 1998) for green recycling in Turkey.
The vessel is the biggest boxship ever sent for demolition by far, breaking the record set only two months ago by ships of 7,400 teu.
The Sine Maersk will be dismantled at the Sok Denizcilic shipyard in Aliaga to comply with European Union recycling rules.
Maersk previously used the same shipyard in 2017 to recycle the 2,890-teu containership Maersk Pembroke (built 1998).
Growing numbers
The Sine Maersk is the latest in a growing number of post-panamax boxships to be sent for recycling.
Alphaliner lists the boxship as one of the first in a series of 25 vessels built at Denmark's Odense Shipyard between 1997 and 2004.
The vessel is a lengthened version of six earlier K-class ships of 7,403 teu, which until now held the record for the biggest boxship sent for demolition.
That record was set in May when US-listed boxship owner Costamare sold the 7,403-teu Kokura (built 1997) for recycling in India.
That deal beat the previous record held by the 6,627-teu JPS Debussy (built 2001), which was sold in December 2016.
Alphaliner said the Sine Maersk was phased out of service in June and ballasted from Salalah in Oman to Turkey via the Suez Canal.
The firm expects the price for the vessel in Turkey to be around $100 per ldt lower than what would have been obtained in India.
That is attributed to Maersk's commitment to sustainable vessel recycling in accordance with the Basel Convention and the EU Ship Recycling Regulation.
