The Orion class is a series of 8 container ships built for Zodiac Maritime. The first 4 ships are operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and the remaining ships are operated by Ocean Network Express (ONE). The ships were built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. The ships have a maximum theoretical capacity of 14,952 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).[1] [2] [3]
| Ship | Yard number | IMO number | Delivery | Status | ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mediterranean Shipping Company | ||||||
| MSC Orion | 3029 | 9857157 | 22 Jan 2020 | In service | ||
| MSC Aries | 3030 | 9857169 | 9 Mar 2020 | In service | ||
| MSC Virgo | 3031 | 9857171 | 8 Jun 2020 | In service | ||
| MSC Auriga | 3032 | 9857183 | 15 Jul 2020 | In service | ||
| Ocean Network Express | ||||||
| Zenith Lumos | 3033 | 9864215 | 21 Sep 2020 | In service | ||
| Zephyr Lumos | 3034 | 9864227 | 6 Jan 2021 | In service | ||
| Zeus Lumos | 3035 | 9864239 | 10 Mar 2021 | In service | ||
| Zeal Lumos | 3036 | 9864241 | 30 Jul 2021 | In service | ||
See also: Timeline of the Red Sea crisis. On April 13, 2024, during the Red Sea crisis, the IRGC Navy seized Portuguese-registered and Madeira-flagged MSC Aries.[4] [5] The ship was off the UAE coast and was taken to Iran, which claimed that it had violated maritime laws.[6]
On April 26, MSV Orion, sister ship to MSC Aries, was struck by a drone, 300 to 400 nautical miles southeast of the Horn of Africa, extending Houthi Red Sea attacks to the Indian Ocean.[7]