The Largest UK Ship Registered Vessel Arrives in Southampton

The largest vessel registered in the UK Ship Register has arrived in Southampton.

CMA CGM Kerguelen, is 398 metres long which is big enough to pack five and a half A380 Airbuses on.  It is operated by the CMA CGM Group.

It is capable of carrying 17,772 TEU (twenty feet equivalent units) and is driven by an engine of 90,000hp - the equivalent of 300 Range Rovers.

The bridge is towards the front of the vessel which the owners say gives better visibility and gives the ship more resistance to torsion. The layout also allows fuel tanks to be positioned under the castle where they are protected by the ship’s double hull, which makes the vessel comply with the MARPOL 12A regulation.

Sir Alan Massey, Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, with responsibility for the UK Ship Register, has been invited to visit the vessel while it is in Southampton.

He will be joined by colleagues Gwen Lancaster (Customer Service Manager) and Annette Bowman (Customer Account Manager).

Sir Alan said: ‘I am delighted to welcome CMA CGM Kerguelen onto the UK Ship Register, particularly as she is now the largest vessel afloat under the Red Ensign. We have been working with CMA CGM for almost ten years. They are a high quality company and, with 40 vessels and well over three million Gross Tons on the Register, they are now our largest customer.’

‘The UK has a proud maritime history and we are determined to build further on our expertise and reputation. As an island nation we rely hugely on the shipping and ports industries – about 95% of the goods by volume that come into and out of the UK, are handled by our ports to keep our lives, our businesses and our economy moving.


All aspects of maritime trade are vital to us, and strong relationships like those we have with CMA CGM are also really important to the UK. We look forward to welcoming more of their new-build ships onto our Flag in the near future.’

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