INTERMEDIATE BUILD
Andy Davies delves into the world of commercial shipping as he builds Revell’s 1/700 replica of the mighty Colombo Express-class container-carrier.
Representing a significant upgrade into a new generation of heavy cargo ships to operator Hapag-Lloyd, the first of the Colombo Express-class vessels was launched from Singapore on April 11, 2005 and the lead ship was the world’s largest such ship at the time. Built in just five months by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea, it remains one of the largest container management system (CMS) vessels afloat. With a length of 335m and a beam of 43m, the ship has a dead weight of 103,800 tons and is capable of carrying 8,749 20ft containers along with a crew of 23.The powerful main engine, roughly the size of a family house, produces 68,640 kW/h (93,324hp) of power, propelling the ship to a maximum speed of 25kts (46km/h).
