Maersk Bentonville makes long stay in Felixstowe

[chrisg46]

The 4,300 TEU Maersk Bentonville is currently making a long stay at Felixstowe's Berth 8/9, where she arrived on 16th Oct, and is intended to stay for up to 15 days.

She's loading empty boxes from Felixstowe's container parks when cranes are available in the gaps between regular MSC, CSCL and other lines call at these berths. At 294m overall,  she's just short enough to allow for one of the 366m 13,000 TEU vessels to berth comfortably on the 730m quay.

The video grab still I have of this unusual berthing isn't up to the required resolution for this site, but you can see it on the Shipping TV Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/shippingtv

[Alan Green]

Hi Chris, I noticed that the Maersk Bentonville has taken up residence.
Maersk certainly seem to be having a clear out at Felixstowe.

[Alan Green]

According to the Maersk sailing schedules, Maersk Bentonville is now due to depart on 27.10.13.

[chrisg46]

She sailed at about 9.24 this morning . . . and Seago Antwerp is just berthing in the same spot . . .

[Alan Green]

Maersk Bentonville popped over to Zeebrugge from Felixstowe and is now back at the Sunk anchorage.

The Maersk schedules show that she is due back into Felixstowe on 03.11.13, Zeebrugge on 06.11.13, Felixstowe on 07.11.13, and Zeebrugge on 13.11.13.

[Michael]

Maersk Bentonville is now on Maersk Euro feeder circuit and certainly appears to be collecting empties from Felixstowe and Europe, when full she'll set sail for the far east as they'll be needed out there for the xmas rush.

As Derek mentions, Felixstowe (and a lot of other European ports so I hear)is/are awash with empties, the recent visits haven't even dented our empties parks.

Hope that helps

Michael

[Michael]

Mearsk Bentonville back at Felixstowe to load more empties, expected departure is 02/11/13 to Zeebrugge. With the last lot and this lot on board, plus what ever was taken on...or off... at zeebrugge, she must be getting quite full, it might actually be cheaper for Maersk to stow empties on one vessel and sail to ports where they are needed than it costs to pay rental to have them stowed at various ports around Europe, I.E. a floating empties vessel?

Will pop over later and grab some photos and compare with the last lot I took when she was loading.

Hope that helps.

[Rick Vince]

Vessel is shuttling empties again to Zeebrugge, full discharge, & then return to Felixstowe again for another load, according to ship's mate, yesterday.
Assumption is therefore, gathering & storing all the empties at Zeebrugge, awaiting a dedicated ship to return them East?
Regards, Rick

[chrisg46]

Sounds like a pretty expensive undertaking, Rick - maybe Felixstowe and Zeebrugge have made a special deal with Maersk for this exercise, cos it represents a lot of terminal handling charges, doesn't it?

Empties from Felixstowe yard to crane, load aboard; unload ashore, stack in container yard at Zeebrugge, store; from Zeebrugge stack to crane, load aboard . . .

[Michael]

Not if ground rental at Zeebrugge is cheaper than the current UK locations. Asked around at work and a lot of these are coming from inland depots as well as some stored on Port premises, checked manifest yesterday and Rick is correct, vessel arrived empty.

Majestic Maersk loaded over 2500 and so far Maersk Bentonville, has or will, move with these recent voyages another 3500 (figures approximate), that's a lot of empties and represents a lot of rental for storage.

The Maersk agent I spoke to on Majestic Maersks departure on the quay said the Triple E was the cheapest way to get these boxes back to the far east, there's currently plenty of space on board so might as well fill it with empties, additionally Majestic Maersk was steaming back at super slow speed to maximise efficiency.

If you have to move a lot of cargo as cheap as possible then the Triple E is their best vessel, however, no idea if Triple E's current berth at Zeebrugge.

[Alan Green]

 Here is a list of Maersk vessels due to call at Zeebrugge until April 2014.
 No Triple E's unless there are going to be ad hoc/off schedule callers.
 
 MAERSK SALINA  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 06 Nov 2013
 MAERSK BENTONVILLE  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 06 Nov 2013
 MAERSK SALINA  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 07 Nov 2013
 MAERSK BENTONVILLE  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 11 Nov 2013
 SUSAN MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 13 Nov 2013
 SOFIE MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 14 Nov 2013 
 SVENDBORG MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 21 Nov 2013
 MAERSK SALALAH  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 28 Nov 2013
 CHARLOTTE MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 05 Dec 2013
 CLIFFORD MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 12 Dec 2013
 MAERSK STOCKHOLM  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 19 Dec 2013
 NORTHERN JUBILEE  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 29 Dec 2013 
 SKAGEN MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 01 Jan 2014
 MAERSK STEPNICA  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 09 Jan 2014
 MAERSK SALINA  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 16 Jan 2014
 SUSAN MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 23 Jan 2014
 SOFIE MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 30 Jan 2014
 SVENDBORG MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 06 Feb 2014
 MAERSK SALALAH  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 13 Feb 2014
 CHARLOTTE MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 20 Feb 2014
 CLIFFORD MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 27 Feb 2014
 MAERSK STOCKHOLM  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 06 Mar 2014
 CHASTINE MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 13 Mar 2014
 SKAGEN MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 20 Mar 2014
 MAERSK STEPNICA  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 27 Mar 2014
 MAERSK SALINA  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 03 Apr 2014
 SUSAN MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 10 Apr 2014 
 SOFIE MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 17 Apr 2014
 SVENDBORG MAERSK  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 24 Apr 2014
 MAERSK SALALAH  APM Terminals Zeebrugge 01 May 2014
 
 

 
 
 

[Michael]

Interesting, several of those vessels already call at Felixstowe so if they were going to be used as empties carriers then why go to all the effort of moving the empties to Zeebrugge when they could of been loaded at Felixstowe?

I know vessels have a limited time to load and discharge, it may be that at Felixstowe there is so much import export going on that there is little time to load empties and at Zeebrugge the import export flow may be lower and thus allowing more spare time during a turn around to back load empties.

Maersk Bentonville certainly seems to be in no hurry, she seems to come and go on a whim, often not even filling the required allocation of empties, the first trip was cut short and Seago Bremerhaven took the rest, yet Bentonville then went and sat at the sunk for several days.

Maersk Bentonville is due back at Felixstowe on the 5th and 9th so the shuttle looks to be going on for a while yet and a quick look around the empties parks on and off terminal show they can probably keep doing this for some time to come.

[chrisg46]

Don't forget that Maersk are becoming a bit "ship-rich" at present, I should think, mainly because they're getting an extra Triple-E every month or so. They're also returning chartered ships to owners, but it looks like they can afford to effective idle a ship or two out of the schedule, to do a big clear-up. I've also been sent some comments suggesting that from the Maersk point of view, having a big clear-out at FXT could be seen as a slightly threatening action . .

Lines will have increasing numbers of berths available with a new one in Southampton, two new ones at Gateway by Easter, etc . . so I think we're living in interesting times!

Incidentally, we're also starting to see Maersk's cascade of larger ships down the rotations, as Maersk Eubank makes her first call in Felixstowe on 7th November.

[Buttermansbay]

Maersk Bentonville's currently alongside the Trinity Terminal at Flx.

Maersk Eubank is now scheduled to arrive at 10.00 on 8th Nov according to PoF arrivals web page. At 366 metres, it's just in the big league at Flx. but it's beaten on tonnage by other 366m vessels due in the next few days. Cosco Belgium (153,666) sailed this morning, CSCL Saturn (150,853 366m) is due on 7/11, to be followed by MSC Bettina (151,559) on 10th Nov. Cosco France (153,666) due to arrive on 11/11. We had two Cosco 153,000 tonners arrive the same morning on 15/10 which was quite a sight. With all those containers coming into the country, no wonder there's a lot of empties piling up!
Keith.

[Michael]

There are two basic types of split structure vessel, both at 366m long but different widths, one at 48m (19 across) and the other at 51m (20 across) that would account for the varying tonnages.

Looking forward to the CSCL Saturn but with a 17:00 arrival it might be close to getting photos of her arrival before turning to berth in the last sunlight.