On 29 November, the "Montevideo Express" from Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HHI) was handed over to Hapag-Lloyd. After the Rio de Janeiro Express, it is the third of six newbuildings with a capacity of 13,312 TEU. The sea trials for the ship took place off the coast of South Korea at the beginning of November. Johannes Becker, Senior Superintendent from Hamburg, was on board for the six days. "The sea trials are very important for us, as they offer the rare opportunity to talk to all the manufacturers' representatives, who are in fact then present to commission their equipment. We can exchange ideas with the technicians in person - a chance we don't have to this extent after the handover in day-to-day operations." The trial run signifies the conclusion of the actual construction phase, which is being overseen by Lutz-Michael Dyck's, Senior Director Fleet, new construction department. As superintendent, Becker is responsible for the technical support of the ship and, among other things, acts as an interface between the vessel and the manufacturer. "The Seatrial is always an important time to get familiar with the ship and its technologyand it acts as a bridge between the creation of the ship and the actual operation."
The Technical Fleet Management department in Hamburg looks after the technical matters of those ships that sail under the German flag. In addition to the Rio de Janeiro Express, Montevideo Express & Buenos Aires Express, this will also include the 12 newbuildings with LNG propulsion that will be put into service from 2023. The TFM is headed by Marcus Müller. The department is located in Fleet Management under the direction of Silke Muschitz.