Nedlloyd Africa

[Hawkeye]

For those interested in the P&ONL/Maersk merger, the Nedlloyd Africa sailed past the Hook of Holland today, empty of all containers, with some hatches still open. She was in P&ONL colours, but Maersk funnel. Persume she is going to a dry dock for refit & repainting. Could anyone confirm this.
I did take some photographs and will post them if I can.

Regards to all

Karl :-)

[Pekka Laakso]

Or she just changed her rotation to Maersk Line

[frederik]

Normally the former P&O nedlloyd vessels remain in their old colors but the funnel changes into Maersk colors and they get a new Maersk name.

greetz,

frederik

[Hawkeye]

Presumably she will eventully be repainted & renamed. I have seen a few ships like this. Be interesting to see what happens at Southampton. Maersk pulled out some time ago, in favour of Felixstowe. I seem to remember something about a dispute because Southampton would not dredge the channel to accommodate the larger ships. P&ONL stayed there.

Regards
Karl
 :-)

[laurie]

The Southampton container website shows Charlotte Maersk called 3 March and Arnold Maersk due 10 March. I believe both were Felixstowe regulars up until now

[Hawkeye]

Hi Laurie

The bit about the Arnold Maersk is interesting. If my memory is correct, she was one of the very big ships in this dispute. She can only use the deep water berth at the top of the quay. The cranes there also reach out further due to the increased beam. They were put there to accommodate these ships, and are widely used by other companies as well.

As you say, the Charlotte Maersk is (or was if she starting to use Southampton) a regular visitor.

Regards

Karl
 :-)

[laurie]

Hi hawkeye
Have just checked on the Maersk website
Sailing schedule for Europe-Far east service AE2 to Qingdao and Xiamen. Vessels call at Southampton weekly:-
Charlotte Maersk,Arnold Maersk,Cornelius Maersk,Skagen Maersk,A P Moller,Sovereign Maersk,Chastine Maersk,Svendborg Maersk,Clementine Maersk.
So these vessels will now be regular visitors there

Laurie

[Andrew McAlpine]

Hi all, i can confirm that maersk are again calling at southampon on three services AE2,AE9,AE10 and i managed to get some pics of chalotte maersk when she arrived on friday,also hoping to catch the first vsl on the AE9 service Maersk Dunedin sailing today. i will post pics later today.
I must say its very good to once again see the big blue ships saling up southampton water!
All the old nedlloydprefixed ships like nedlloyd africa will be keeping their name as they are actually owned by blue star redeeri which also became a maersk company after the merger.
Maersk said they are keeping the nedlloyd name due to the long history of the company.

hope this helps

 :-D  :-D

[Hawkeye]

Hi Laurie

I was wondering why I haven't seen these ships for some time, now I know, thanks.

I usually see a Maersk ship or two in Felixstowe during my time onboard ship, I, however may not be in a position to get their names, (I have to work sometimes), but can usually work them out on the Felixstowe sailing list. I also log the MSC ships, sometimes there have been 3 or 4 ship in together.

Another thing that is surprising, you say the reason the Nedlloyd name is still around is due to historical reasons. Why not keep the P&O name which has been around for 170 years, longer then Nedlloyd?

Regards
Karl
 :-)

[Andrew McAlpine]

hi hawkeye, having previously worked for P&O Nedlloyd i think it is a shame the name will disappear only now to be seen on the containers themselves.

Apparently maersk did want to use the P&O name as well but this was not allowed by P&O themselves, as P&O is still a trading company.

[rd77]

The NEDLLOYD AFRICA will keep her name and is most likely following her sister NEDLLOYD AMERICA to the drydock in Dubai for a refit and repaint. Will check her routing at work later in the week.

Generally speaking all the ships that still had NEDLLOYD prefixes (as opposed to P&O NEDLLOYD) will keep their names, the one big exception being NEDLLOYD HONG KONG, which will become MAERSK MIAMI. Very strange, as the other 6 hatchcoverless vessels built in the 90s (including sister NEDLLOYD HONSHU) are keeping their original names.

Brgds.

[jan_t]

Luckily, only yesterday I found time and take a shot of NEDLLOYD HONGKONGs last ever arrival in a port under her original name:

http://www.shipspotting.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=198061

The picture shows her at Hamburg (Germany) underway to HHLAs "Container Terminal Altenwerder" where she was renamed Maersk Miami. Actually she's leaving the port under her new name this very minute. (Sadly I can only watch via webcam...) She has been emptied to the very last box at CTA, and will swith to another service. Oppsosed to most ex-PONL ships, her funels still sport the logo of Maersk's Hamburg-based affiliate Blue Star Shipping. By the way: many onlookers and photographers never realised that HONSHU and HONGKONG actually are Post-Panamax-Carries, since their destictive design suggests they are nothing but a lenghtended version of NEDLLOYD ASIA and her sisters. In this respect the two ships are the largest hatchcoverless carries ever built.

regards

Jan