Tuesday, November 7. In the morning, one of the largest container ships in the world passed down Channel off the Sussex coast. She was enroute to Southampton on her outbound voyage from Europe after sailing from China via Sri Lanka while on her first round voyage. The Milan Maersk is one of the largest vessels of her type in the world with a capacity for 20,568 containers – that’s nearly 400 containers more than the previous largest. In 2016 the largest container vessel calling in Southampton had a capacity for 16,000 containers.
Maersk Milan. Image Credits: ABP Southampton.
The megaship belongs to the second generation of Maersk Line’s Triple-E class (Economy of scale, Energy efficient and Environmentally improved) and is part of a series of eleven container ships, which will be delivered by the end of 2018. Milan Maersk’s propulsion and software system creates energy savings which aims to reduce carbon emissions per container vessel by 35 percent. This new generation of more efficient and environmentally friendly container ship joins LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) and solar powered RoRo vessels already visiting the port of Southampton. For more technical information see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maersk_Triple_E-class_container_ship ).
Thursday, November 9. With thick grey cloud overhead at daybreak, there was a clear, fabulously-coloured sky out at sea towards the south-east, creating brilliant blue skies with a golden sun surrounded by bright vermilion skies, casting bronze hues on the autumn-tinted trees near my house.