Today (August 30) another Mediterranean Shipping Company veteran arrived in Halifax. This time it was MSC Sariska V on the CANEX 2 service (to Spain and Italy from Montreal). It will take on additional cargo here to "top up" to ocean going draft.
Any ship that has reached the twenty-five year mark is considered a veteran these days, but to pass the thirty year mark is worthy of special note. Therefore a ship built in 1990 is all the more remarkable.
MSV Sariska V began life as the Majestic Maersk when it was built by Odesne Steel Shipyard, in Lindø, Denmark and was launched February 15, 1990. The shipbuilder (since closed) was also owned by the AP Moller-Maersk company and turned out scores of ships for the parent company. This one was the seventh of twelve "M" class sisters of 52,181 gt, 60,639 dwt with a capacity of 4437 TEU including 500 reefers. It was delivered for service on April 11, 1990.
Maersk renamed the ship Majestic in 2010, then sold it to new owners where it was renamed MSC Sariska in 2011. The Roman numeral "V" was added in 2022.
It did call in Halifax as Majestic Maersk on its maiden voyage May 1, 1990 when it inaugurated a new "high speed" independent transatlantic service, using six of the "M" class ships. The ships were rated for 24 knots.
On its way inbound today the ship would periodically emit considerable heavy black smoke. If, as it appears, to be burning marine gas oil or low-sulphur fuels, [no scrubbber is visible] it may be meeting the letter of the law, but is still producing excessive particulate at times.
This is another ship that may have two or three years of service left before another major class survey, but may be displaced during that time by a flood of newer and more efficient ships currently under construction or on order. At last report MSC had 125 ships on order. Its current fleet of 775 ships could not possibly absorb that many new ships, so a good many will be heading for the torches soon, and this may be one.
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