Hanjin Shipping has launched two 6,555-TEU vessels, the Hanjin Tianjin and the Hanjin Xiamen, from the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyards in Ulsan, Korea, which will soon be deployed on the Asia-Europe trade, according to a company statement.

The two 80,800-dwt, 27-knot ships will enter the FEX (Far East Europe Express) service, the first later this month, and the other in March with a rotation of: Xingang, Gwangyang, Busan, Kaohsiung, Chiwan, Singapore, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Felixtowe, Singapore, Kaohsiung and back to Xingang.

The ships are 40 metres wide and 304 metres long, each covering an area of two football fields.

The Hanjin Tianjin and the Hanjin Xiamen are the fourth and fifth ships in the company's series of eight 6,500-TEU newbuilds, which are environmentally friendly with clean 93,000-horsepower engine systems, designed to eliminate pollutants and achieve high fuel efficiency in both slow and fast steaming modes.

The three other new ships will come on stream early next year as part of Hanjin's plan to make the fleet more competitive.

Said Hanjin CEO JW Park: "Hanjin Shipping will develop into the most trusted global logistics company by expanding its fleet and strengthening its alliances while pursuing change and innovation internally."

Currently, the carrier operates 80 containerships on 60 routes. Last year, Hanjin Shipping became the first Korean shipping company to order a 10,000-TEU mega-size vessel as part of an effort to become one of the world's top carriers.