MSC Zoe is an Olympic-class container ship built by Hanwha Ocean and operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company.[1] MSC Zoe was one of the largest container ships in the world when built in 2015.[5][6] It is the third of a series of ships built for MSC, after MSC Oscar and MSC Oliver.[7]

The container ship MSC Zoe on tow at the Eurogate Terminal
History
NameMSC Zoe
OwnerMediterranean Shipping Company
OperatorMediterranean Shipping Company
Port of registryPanama Panama
Completed2015
IdentificationIMO number9703318[1]
General characteristics
Class and typeOlympic-class container ship
Tonnage
  • 192,237 GT
  • 199,272 DWT
Length395.4 m (1,297 ft)
Beam59 m (194 ft)
Draught14.5 m (48 ft)
Installed powerMAN B&W 11S90ME-C two-stroke diesel engine; output: 62.5 MW (83,800 hp)[2]
PropulsionSingle five-blade propeller; blade length: 10.5 m (34 ft)[2]
Speed22.8 kn (42.2 km/h; 26.2 mph)[3][4]
Capacity19,224 TEU
Crew22 (lifeboat capacity = 35)[3]

Name

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MSC Zoe takes her name from the four year old grand-daughter of Gianluigi Aponte, the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) president and chief executive.[3]

Construction

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MSC Zoe was built by Daewoo in South Korea for $140 million.[3]

Ship's particulars

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At a length of 395 m (1,296 ft) and beam of 59 m (194 ft), MSC Zoe has a draft of 14.5 m (48 ft). She has a capacity of 19,224 TEU and a cargo capacity (dwt) of 199,272 tonnes.

Propulsion

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The vessel's main engine is a two-stroke MAN B&W 11S90ME-C diesel engine, which is a height of 15.5 m (51 ft), a length of 25 m (82 ft) and a breadth of 11 m (36 ft).[2][4] The engine has a maximum continuous rating of 62.5 MW (83,800 hp) at 82.2 rpm and a normal continuous rating of 56.25 MW (75,430 hp) at 79.4 rpm.[2]

Loss of containers at sea

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Salvaged container at Terschelling beach

On 1 January 2019, 342 containers went overboard whilst MSC Zoe was sailing on the North Sea. Two hundred ninety-seven containers were lost north of the Dutch island Ameland, the remaining containers some hours later north of the German island Borkum.[8] Nineteen of the containers and their contents – including organic peroxides, children's toys, shoes, bags, cushions, chairs, televisions, and plastic packaging – washed ashore on the Dutch islands of Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog and German island Borkum in the Wadden Sea, a protected UNESCO biosphere reserve.[9][10][11]

In 2020, the Dutch Safety Board, German BSU and Panama Maritime Authority published a joint report on their investigation of the incident. It notes that the loss of containers occurred over several hours, due to strong rolling and the associated accelerations caused by the prevalent sea conditions at the time. Although it found that the loading and securing of the cargo was in accordance with regulations at the time, it recommended to revise the regulations with special consideration of very large container ships.[12]

In 2019 the shipping company created a list of places at sea where contents of the containers still can be found but did not publish it. After a lengthy legal battle against the Dutch government (who deemed the waste "litter") this list was made public in April 2024. It contains 6000 places at sea, and it totals around 800,000 kg (1,800,000 lb), circa a quarter of the original waste.[13][14]

Sisterships

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "MSC ZOE". MarineTraffic. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "MSC Oscar Container Ship, Panama". ship-technology.com. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d Parkinson, Justin (11 March 2015). "On board the world's biggest ship". BBC News Magazine. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  4. ^ a b "MAN B&W S90ME-C10.2" (PDF). MAN Diesel & Turbo. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  5. ^ "MSC Oscar". MSC. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  6. ^ Stromberg, Joseph (8 January 2015). "The MSC Oscar just became the world's biggest container ship". Vox. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  7. ^ Stackhouse, Laura (13 January 2015). "The MSC Oscar has already stolen the CSCL Globe's 'biggest ship' title". Marine Trader Online. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  8. ^ Onderzoeksraad voor Veiligheid onderzoekt overboord slaan containers Nos News, 10 January 2019
  9. ^ "Islands hit as 270 containers fall off ship". BBC News. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  10. ^ Rijkswaterstaat: 222 containers gelokaliseerd (update) RTV Noord, 6 January 2019
  11. ^ "Photos: MSC Zoe Loses Containers in North Sea". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  12. ^ "Loss of containers overboard from MSC Zoe. 1-2 January 2019" (PDF). Dutch Safety Board. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Vijf jaar na ramp met MSC Zoe wordt duidelijk waar de troep ligt" (in Dutch). 10 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  14. ^ NDR. "Neue Bilder veröffentlicht: Wird Ladung von "MSC Zoe" geborgen?". www.ndr.de (in German). Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  15. ^ a b "MSC Zoe takes bow in triple-first". Lloyds List. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  16. ^ a b "MSC Oscar becomes the world's largest boxship". Lloyds List. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  17. ^ "Video: 19,224 TEU MSC Maya Christened in Antwerp". worldmaritimenews.com. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  18. ^ McAlpine, Andrew. "World's Largest Container ship makes UK Debut". Linked In. Retrieved 30 November 2015.