Maersk Line replacing four MSP ships

Maersk Line replacing four MSP ships

      Maersk Line Ltd. this month will begin replacing the four containerships it operates under U.S. registry with four larger newer containerships. The newer ships, which will operate with a crew of 19, will also be manned in all licensed positions by American Maritime Officers.
      The four 1,500 TEU ships being replaced are the Maersk California, Maersk Colorado, Maersk Texas and Maersk Tennessee. The four U.S.-flag 4,300 TEU Panamax containerships that will replace them are the Maersk Missouri, Maersk Carolina, Maersk Georgia and Maersk Virginia. The newer G-class ships will also operate between the U.S. East Coast and ports in the Mediterranean, Middle East and Indian Subcontinent.
      Like the other Maersk containerships, the re-flagged G-class containerships will operate under the Maritime Security Program (MSP), which provides $2.1 million per year in operational assistance to each of the 47 vessels enrolled in the program to offset the cost of operating under U.S. registry and meeting higher U.S. standards. As a result, the ships are available to the U.S. military in times of war for sealift support.
      The G-class ships, previously the Gerd Maersk, Grete Maersk, Gudrun Maersk and Maersk Geelong, were built in 1997, 1998, 1997 and 2002, respectively, and will provide the U.S. military with improved sealift capacity under the MSP.
      The Maersk California, Maersk Colorado, Maersk Texas and Maersk Tennessee will be re-flagged to a foreign registry.

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