HAMBURG owner ER Schiffahrt’s tenth and final vessel in its series of capesize newbuildings, ER Bayern, has been christened at Hyundai Heavy Industries in Gusan, South Korea ahead of its maiden voyage to Port Hedland on long-term charter to Sanko.
The 180,000dwt, 292m long, 45m wide vessel has a draught of 18.2m and can reach a speed of 15.3 knots.
The ER Bayern was christened by its godmother, Heidi Beckenbauer, wife of Germany’s most celebrated footballer ‘Kaiser’ Franz Beckenbauer who, in addition to a long career with Bayern Munich in the 1960s and 1970s, played for HSV Hamburg for two seasons after returning to Germany in 1980 following a spell with the New York Cosmos.
“In the world of international football, the name Beckenbauer is associated with top performance and successful teamwork like no other. But these are qualities which count not only in sports – they are also the foundation of the success of our company and many others like us,” Erck Rickmers told guests at the ceremony.
Erck Rickmers is a long-term supporter of the Franz Beckenbauer Foundation, established in Hamburg in 1982, which assists infirm and disabled people, as well as people who are in difficulty through no fault of their own.
