Mediterranean Shipping Company has christened the MSC Maya, its newest 19,224 TEU “Oscar class” container ship.

The ship was constructed at the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Maritime Engineering Shipyard in South Korea and arrived at the MSC PSA European Terminal at the port of Antwerp on her maiden call.

The MSC Maya is named after the granddaughter of the founder and executive chairman of the MSC Group, and sails under the Panama flag.

Marc Beerlandt, managing director of MSC Belgium, said that he was honoured to christen the ship at Antwerp, which is MSC’s most important hub in Northern Europe.

“Our partnership with Antwerp goes back many years. Both MSC and the port of Antwerp play an important role in the local economy,” he said. “In addition to our container business, MSC also offers our customers a range of dedicated intermodal services connecting Antwerp to major business centres throughout Benelux and to various destinations in Northern Europe.”

Antwerp also holds a special importance for Diego Aponte, president and chief executive officer of the MSC Group.

“Holding the ceremony in Antwerp means a lot to our family because this is where it all started for MSC,” said Aponte. “It was 45 years ago that my father and my mother started MSC with a single conventional ship, the MV Patricia, in Brussels. I believe it is through these kind of moments that we can transmit our passion for the sea to our children, to carry forward what my father has built over the past four decades.”