After a lot of preparation the day had finally arrived; Friday 16 August, the arrival of the first Triple-E vessel in Europe. Colleagues, customers and shipping fans from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany were present to witness the arrival of the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller in Rotterdam, resulting in a crowd of over 6,000 people.

A crowd of witnesses

A thousand preregistered visitors joined the official Triple-E vantage point for exhibitions, music, food and drinks. They were entertained by speakers and guests who gave them detailed information about the vessel and the development of the Rotterdam Maasvlakte 2 terminal. A container booth invited visitors to share their own photos and impressions via social media. And when the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller finally arrived – on schedule, at 14:00 hours – it did so accompanied by an original shanty choir performing songs about life at sea and their work in the Dutch port of Rotterdam.

The vessel entered the waters of Rotterdam in great summer weather, and was treated to fireworks and the “nautical salute” by Rotterdam Port Authority vessels and tugboats.

Customers at a special event

While the public was enjoying the welcome of the world’s largest ship on the shores of the Maasvlakte, some of the customers had boarded a somewhat smaller vessel to enjoy the honour of greeting the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller at sea. This vessel guided the Triple-E into the waters of Rotterdam while sailing alongside this enormous vessel, says Peter Dekker, Director of Key Client Management from Maersk Line Netherlands. “Most importantly the Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller looked her beautiful self, the sun was shining and the waves were manageable for the landlubbers amongst us onboard the key client vessel.”

After the boat trip alongside the Triple-E, the customers were welcomed to visit the vessel and meet the crew.

The participating customers were duly impressed and also somewhat overwhelmed, concluded Peter. “The Triple-E has proved that shipping dreams can come true. The Triple-E was a concept, but the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller is a reality, and this reality not only makes the customers smile, but makes them support us.”