50th Anniversary of the first Containership calling the Port of Hamburg

50 years to the day, the first real containership, „AMERICAN LANCER“ of United States Lines called the port of Hamburg. The photo (courtesy of HHLA, Hamburg) shows her at HHLA’s Burchardkai, which had been completed for container handling only a few weeks before. With a length of abt. 213 m “AMERICAN LANCER” had a container capacity of 1.176 TEU and a carrying capacity of 21.435 twd. The largest containership which has called Hamburg since these early days of containerization is “CMA CGM ANTOINE DE SAINT EXUPÉRY”. With abt. 400 m less than double the length, but with 59 m more than double the breadth, she has a container capacity of almost 17 times of the veteran (20.766 TEU) and about ten times the carrying capacity (199.855 tdw). “AMERICAN LANCER” had up to 43 seamen on board, "CMA CGM ANTOINE DE SAINT EXUPÉRY” has a crew of 18. Bob Dylan has set the theme in “Times are A-Changing”: Come gather around people, wherever you roam, and admit that the waters around you have grown. Not only the waters have grown, but particularly what mankind has put on it.