#LondonsLargest - Munkebo Maersk, a 195,000 ton Triple E-class became the largest ship ever to sail up the River Thames to DP World London Gateway, the UK's newest deep-sea port hub.
The 60m wide containership is 399m long - equivalent in length to almost four football pitches and capable of carrying more than 18,300 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units).
The sheer size of Munkebo Maersk makes her to be one of the largest such vessels in the world. She operates for the giant Danish shipping group, Maersk on the new East-West Network.
With the assistance of Port of London Authority's pilots, Munkebo Maarsk was last Thursday drawn alongside DP World London Gateway Port, Europe's largest logistics park.
Managing Director of Maersk Line (UK & Ireland), Brian Godsafe, said: "We're using DP World London Gateway to help ensure the right container equipment is available for our customers in the locations they want it. In this instance, that means out in the Far East where they can be used to transport goods across our East-West Network.
"We are delighted that DP World London Gateway has been able to support us in serving our customers, and are pleased to help them break the record of the largest vessel on the Thames to date."
The inaugural call of the giant containership comes only weeks after Edith Maersk called at DP World London Gateway, which at 366m long, which had held the previous largest ship record.
Afloat.ie adds that DP World is an Emirati marine terminal operator based in Dubai and is one of the largest marine terminal operators in the world. To date they have 65 terminals in six continents and plans for further expansion.
Among the DP World portfolio of businesses is P&O Maritime, which owns and manages a fleet of specialist vessels.
The company's P&O Maritime (Ireland) office in Galway oversaw the recent upgrading of the Marine Institute's RV Celtic Explorer. This involved hydrographic and geophysical sonar systems during dry-docking in A&P Falmouth.
