Alula-Express

Pressed cardboard stored in a 40-foot container on the "Alula" caught fire on Aug 28, 2015, at 3.30 a.m. at the Eurogate Terminal in the Waltershof Port in Hamburg. The alerted fire fighters, which were on scene with 36 men, removed the box from the ship after another 30 containers had been unloaded to get access. At 7 a.m. the smoldering fire has been extinguished to the smouldering one. The cause of the fire has not yet been clarified. The ship had arrived in port on Aug 27, coming from Rotterdam.

United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) took delivery of its fourth 13,500 TEU container vessel, named “Al Ula”, at Samsung Heavy Industries’ (SHI) shipyard in Geoge, South Korea. With an overall length of 366m, and powered by a Doosan MAN B&W main engine, the AL ULA can operate at a service speed of around 25 knots. The new ship has a capacity for 800 40ft reefer containers on deck and has three holds designed for hazardous cargoes. With the new nine A13s joining UASC’s fleet, the company will now own and operate a total of 49 container ships and the A13 class vessels will be by far the biggest in this fleet.