MSC Daniela is a container shipoperated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company that at 366 meters is one of the largest container ships of the world, with a TEU cargo capacity of 14,000 containers. The building of MSC Daniela was started on 1 July 2006 and finished at the end of 2008; the ship was subsequently crowned as the largest according to cargo capacity. The shipbuilder was Samsung Heavy Industries in Geoje, South Korea. However, despite her larger claimed capacity, MSC Daniela is now neither the longest container ship in the world, nor does it have the largest tonnage. With a length of nearly 400 meters, the Triple E classMaersk Mc-Kinney Møller is the longest container ship in the world. Maersk, her Danish owners, list a container carrying capacity of 18,000 TEU for their Triple E class. The Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller is the first of a class of 20 identical Triple E vessels that Maersk has ordered. In 2013, China Shipping Container Lines ordered five ships with a capacity of 18,400 TEU from Hyundai Heavy Industries, topping the Triple E class. Delivery was to begin in late 2014.
Design
MSC Daniela has an overall length of 366 metres, a moulded beam of 51 metres and draft, when the ship is fully loaded of 15 metres. The deadweight of the vessel is 165,000 metric tons and the gross tonnage is 135,000 gross tons. The ship is large and requires a strong and reliable engine. Powered by a MAN SE B&W 12K98MC-C diesel engine with total output of 98,280 hp, the vessel is able to realize a maximum speed of 25.2 knots, while the cruising speed is 23.5 knots.
Operational history
In April 2017, MSC Daniela suffered extensive damage when a container caught fire approximately 120 miles off Colombo. Firefighting efforts were coordinated by the Sri Lankan Navy and Colombo Port Authority which evacuated her crew and returned the ship safely to port. The ship was repaired jointly by the CIC Changxing Shipyard and COSCO Qidong Offshore and was successfully redelivered to MSC in late August.
