The Naming of Newbuild 210

Today is a special day as it is the naming day for AP Moller-Maersk’s Newbuild no 210. This ship is the last of a series of eight ultra panamax container ships – the E-series, which began in September 2006 with the launch of the much heralded Emma Maersk. The other vessels all have ‘E’ names – Estelle Maersk (Nov 06); Eleonora Maersk (Jan 07); Evelyn Maersk (Mar 07); Ebba Maersk (May 07); Elly Maersk (Aug 07) and Edith Maersk (Nov 07); and have been built at the Odense Steel Shipyard’s Lindo Yard.
We made the journey to the Lindo Yard in a bus with many other guests, all staying at the Marriott courtesy of A P Moller-Maersk; and we started out at 7.15am. Thank goodness breakfast was served on the bus, so we had an extra few minutes in bed! As we left Copenhagen, our guide enlightened us with facts and figures about Copenhagen, the Danes and life in general. Dawn broke and the mist slowly lifted from the fields. We spotted a few deer as we sped through the countryside, eating our rolls and drinking coffee or tea. Soon we were leaving Zealand behind, crossing by bridge to Funen. This bridge is in two parts and crosses from Korsor to Sprogo by suspension bridge, then from Sprogo to Nyborg by a box girder bridge. The suspension bridge (eastern bridge) is called the Storebaeltsbron and is 1624m long, which makes it the second longest suspension bridge in the world. Sprogo is a small natural island in the waters known as the Great Belt. It is now uninhabited and a nature reserve, but during the building of the bridge, archaeologists found that it was first inhabited some 8000 years ago. Once on Funen, it was not long before we arrived at Lindo Shipyard. Here we were given a short tour of the area, then we were taken to the quayside where Newbuild 210 was waiting for us.
We gathered in a marquee with some windows in its roof through which we could see the prow of this huge vessel. True to tradition, the name of the ship was shrouded in mystery and a long Danish flag! We waited just a short time for the sponsor to arrive. Lady Bond stepped from the car and two little boys dressed in sailor suits presented her with a posy of flowers, which she carried into the marquee, accompanied by the rest of the sponsor party. Then the head of Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd invited Lady Bond to step forward and name the vessel. This she did in the traditional style and the flag fell away from the name, revealing this to be ‘Eugen Maersk’. We all then cheered the ship and wished her good luck. The name is pronounced in a similar way to the word ocean but with zh instead of sh in the middle.

Now we were all invited on board to drink the health of the ship in champagne on the bridge. Its magnificent views were quite breathtaking – especially as we had just climbed up the equivalent of eighteen floors. We ventured outside and eventually managed to climb one more flight of stairs to the ‘sun deck’ over the bridge itself. But we had to see some of the facilities this giant ship had to offer its crew of 13, so we were lead down to the Captain’s quarters and those of the Chief Engineer; the saloon; and the laundry. We had gradually descended to deck level and all that remained were the three ladders over the side of the ship. Back down on terra firma, the ship towered over us and all we could do was marvel! This vessel is quite a bit bigger than the cruise ships we had seen towering over the city in Instanbul. Now we were treated to a superb lunch, prepared by one of Denmark’s top chef’s who just happens to have a restaurant close by. It was very good – a terrine of langoustine, Danish Marshland beef and a vanilla symphony for dessert. Wines matched the courses and speeches and conversation flowed.
You may think this would be the end, but there was more in store. Coffee was served in the training centre of the yard, and we walked across there, once more giving our coats to the attendants and taking seats around the circular tables. As we sat sipping coffee and nibbling homemade chocolates, the lights were gradually dimmed out and we could hear the sound of singing. We could see the flickering light of candles approaching down the staircase, and a procession of girls, all dressed in white and carrying candles appeared, led by one girl with a crown of lit candles on her head. She slowly brought the choir around the tables to the front and we were treated to a concert of Danish carols. This was the St. Lucia ceremony, which normally takes place on 13th December. As they processed away again, this was finally the end of the celebration of the naming of Eugen Maersk. The sun was dropping rapidly from the blue sky and we boarded our bus, heading for Copenhagen once more.