Ernst Russ buys largest boxship to date

Germany’s Ernst Russ has added a 13,371 teu neopanamax container vessel to its fleet for an undisclosed sum.

The vessel in question is the
Rome Express, built and delivered in December 2010 by Samsung Heavy Industries Shipyard in South Korea. The ship has already been taken over by Ernst Russ.

The containership is currently on a charter with Hapag-Lloyd until the beginning of 2026 on a Far East-North Europe service.

According to VesselsValue data on Ernst Russ vessels, the Rome Express is now the largest ship in the company’s fleet. For comparison, the 16 container vessels owned by the company have a total size of 21,275 teu.

Ernst Russ said that this investment further extended its vessel portfolio in terms of number and size class. As a further contribution to the rejuvenation of its fleet, the 20-year-old, 2,450 teu sub-panamax container vessel Ella was handed over to the new owners yesterday, the company added.

The most recent vessel Ernst Russ added to its fleet was the 2,194 teu containership, Frida Russ. The ship was bought with a 20-month charter attached, with an option for a further three months. Following the Frida Russ and Rome Express acquisitions, the company manages a fleet of 31 fully consolidated vessels.