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Svendborg maersk

6K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  Peter B 
#1 ·
Do Somebody have information about Svendborg Maersk build 1974 in Japan
renamed 1979 to Sea train Charleston
 
#2 ·
Svendborg Maersk

Here is what I have:

Built in 1974 by Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries (I.H.I) of Aioi, Japan (2323) for A.P. Moller. In 1979, the vessel was renamed SEATRAIN CHARLESTON. A year later she was given the name DRAGOR MAERSK. In 1985 she became the CHALLENGER and reverted back to DRAGOR MAERSK the same year. She became the CHALLENGER once more in 1987. The following Year, she was sold and renamed BRIGIT MAERSK. In 1999, the vessel was sold again and renamed BRIGIT. At the end of 1999, the vessel was renamed MSC HALIFAX. In January 2002, the vessel was sold for scrap in India.


Hope this helps

Capt. Bruno
 
#3 ·
SVENDBORG MAERSK

Built by Ishikawajima-Harima, Aioi, Japan. Yard No 2323. Launched 6.7.73, Completed 1/74. Length 261.2m, Beam 32.3m. GRT = 38540.
1979 SEATRAIN CHARLESTON, 1980 DRAGOR MAERSK, 1985 CHALLENGER, 1985 DRAGOR MAERSK, 1987 CHALLENGER, 1988 BRIGIT MAERSK, 1999 BRIGIT, 2000 MSC HALIFAX, 29/1/2002 Broken up Alang

Picture of her as Brigit Maersk at www.chesterahoy.com/SHIPS/hns2.htm

Dennis.
 
#5 ·
Svendborg Maersk was the first purpose built containership built for Maersk. The original intention was for her to operate in partnership with K-Line on the Europe - Far East route. However K-Line pulled out of the agreement at the last minute and instead joined the "ACE" consortium (OOCL, NOL and FBS). This left Maersk somewhat in the lurch and she spent much of the 70's chartered out. She was later heavily rebuilt including changing her steam turbine machinery to diesels and upgrading her capacity from about 1,500 TEU to around 2,500 TEU by jumboization. Something of a "pet" project of the company she remained under AP Moller ownership until 1994 when she was sold (but time-chartered back) to Danaos of Greece. In 2000 she was finally off-hired by Maersk and was chartered to MSC as the MSC Halifax before finally being sold for scrap in 2002 during the brief container shipping recession that followed 9/11.
 
#10 ·
Svendborg Maersk

Here is the latest info i have got on her:

Built in 1974 by Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries (I.H.I) of Aioi, Japan (2323) for A.P. Moller. The vessel was the first ever containership built for the Dannish owner. It was originally planned that the vessel enter service on a joint Europe to Asia service with K-Line but the Japanese line pulled out of the agreement. Upon delivery, the vassel was exclusively chartered out and used as a replacement vessel quite often. In 1979, the vessel was renamed SEATRAIN CHARLESTON. A year later she was given the name DRAGOR MAERSK. The vessel was still deployed on the USa to Asia service that called on both coasts of the USA prior to sailing to South-East Asia. In 1985 she became the CHALLENGER and reverted back to DRAGOR MAERSK the same year always on the same service. She became the CHALLENGER once more in 1987. The following Year, she was transferred to the Singapore subsidiary and renamed BRIGIT MAERSK and remained on the USA-to Asia service although it no-longer called the Atlantic coast of the USA. Early in 1992, the vessel was repositionned for a new service as she arrived to Gibraltar’s eastern anchorage on January 1st 1992. She was on a USA-Middle East and Mediteranean service of Maersk and then in 1994 on a service from the USA to India. On this service, calls were made to Halifax, New York, Baltimore, Charleston, Houston to Algeciras in Spain, Jebel Ali via the Suez Canal and then on to Bombay. Towards the end on 1996, the BRIGIT MAERSK was transferred to the Asia to Australia service calling at Melbourne, Brisbane, Botany Bay, Busan, Yokohama, Osaka and Hakata in Japan. In 1999, the vessel was sold to Greek tramp owner Danaos and renamed BRIGIT. As BRIGIT, she was kept on the Asia to Australia run. At the end of 1999, the vessel was renamed MSC HALIFAX and wa repositionned in February on the Europe to Australia service and than in March on the Europe to East Coast of USA service calling at Halifax , its namesake port. She made 10 visits to Halifax before being transferred again in November 2000 to the Europe to Australia service where she ended her career. In January 2002, the vessel was sold for scrap in India, the vessel arrived at Alang on January 29 and work began shortly thereafter.
 
#11 ·
RobW & Capt. Bruno,
sorry to say so, but neither of you have got it right. Svendborg Maersk have never had a steam turbine plant but she has been repowered.
Originally she had two propellers and two 12-cylinder Sulzer main engines. In 1985 she was rebuilt into a single-propeller, single-engine design (8-cylinder B&W as far as I remember).
 
#13 ·
Still not quite right RobW :)
I have never served on her, but when I was on the Laura Maersk on her maiden voyage in early 1981 I served with the Captain, Chief Engineer, First Engineer, Engineers Assistant and Electrician who also took the Svendborg Maersk out on her maiden voyage six years earlier.
Naturally, there was a lot of talk about the pros and cons of the 47,300 bhp B&W 12L90GFCA on Laura Maersk, compared to the twin Sulzer installation in Svendborg Maersk. Therefore I am VERY sure her first engines were Sulzers!

I found this piece about her on the Maersk website:
http://about.maersk.com/en/History/Decades/1970/Pages/1973TheFleetsFirstContainerVessel.aspx

I have to say though, that the stated top speed of 26 knots is ********. She was known to be good for well over 30 knots.
 
#14 ·
Svendborg Maersk

Thank You PETER B. for the clarification, after looking again in old edition of LR you are indeed right.

Original engines: 2 Sulzer 12 cylinders manufactured by IHI in Japan.
Repowered with: B&W 8 cylinder engine manufactured by Mitsui.

I wonder if the work was performed at Mitsui in 1985 ? What was the reason of this costly rebuild ?
 
#16 ·
I wonder if the work was performed at Mitsui in 1985 ? What was the reason of this costly rebuild ?
I am not sure whether the yard was Mitsui, but it was in Japan in 1985. Somewhere I have a photo of her, sitting in a drydock in Japan, with her funnel dismantled and resting on the ground beside the drydock.
The photo was taken by my wife, from the M/V Arnold Maersk, aboard which she joined me in the autumn of 1985. I will try to dig out the photo and upload it.
As for the reason for the rebuild, I'm pretty sure it was about reducing fuel- and maintenance costs. Would probably reduce the required E/R staff by at least a couple of assistants, too.

I agree with Stan Mayes; she was indeed a nice looking ship, but then her box capacity was horribly low, compared to modern ships of similar length and beam.
 
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