An MSC RORO

AIS said an MSC vessel was arriving, but when I saw it, I was surprised.  I’d never seen an MSC RORO.  MSC is the world’s second largest container line, and besides a cruise line, which I saw in Havana  and which I believe does not call at US ports, container transport is all MSC does.  This is quite unlike the largest container line, Maersk, which has over 900 subsidiaries, including tugboats and offshore work vessels.

By the way, any guesses on the others in the top ten by teu moved and how they’re ranked?  Answer below.

It seems that MSC has been in the scheduled deepsea RORO trade for only a short time, and although it’s likely that MSC Cristiana has called here before, this is my first time to see her.  I think of ROROS, like this PCTC, as boxy, but this photo with MSC Chritiana juxtaposed with a real trash container barge shows what boxy looks like.

Guess how many cars she carries?

Ellen has a hold on that recessed shell bit.

 

The paint scheme reduces the boxy look of this vessel, but

   

I didn’t know when she was last painted.  I’d say this 2011 RORO is due for a repaint. 

All photos, WVD.

She carries 6,700 ceu [car equivalent units].

Top ten are:  1. Maersk, 2. MSC, 3. Cosco, 4. CMA CGM, 5. Hapag-Lloyd, 6. ONE, 7. Evergreen, 8. OOCL, 9.  HMM, 10. Yang Ming.  More on each of those here.  If you’re a regular here, you’ve seen at least one of all of these lines’ vessels.

It also means that you can be on a highway or at a rail crossing anywhere in the US–or other country–and you’ll see containers of these lines.