The Philadelphia Port community has reported that the biggest vessel ever to call at the port was welcomed at PhilaPort’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal (PAMT).
The MV CMA CGM Marco Polo, spanning 1,300 feet and boasting a capacity of 16,020 containers, arrived on 8 March welcomed by a water canon shower by the Philadelphia Fire Department’s Marine Unit.
CMA CGM’s ‘Namex’ service originates in Yantian, China, continuing through Vietnam, Malaysia, Siri Lanka, and Morocco, before heading to the US East Coast.
Jeff Theobald, Executive Director and CEO of PhilaPort, said: “This vessel is the manifestation of years of hard work preparing for this newer class of vessels.
“It has always been our goal to be able to handle these vessels which have become the workhorse of maritime trade around the world.”
READ: PhilaPort welcomes new Wan Hai Lines East Asia service
Captain David Cuff, President of the Pilots Association of the Bay, and River Delaware, stated: “We are thrilled to finally bring a vessel of this size up the Delaware River. We always knew that we could pilot this size of a ship up the Delaware River – safety was and is the highest priority.
“To be sure it could transit safely, a dozen of our most experienced pilots spent valuable hours training in the simulator at MITAGS (Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies).”
READ: CMA CGM vessel installs first ever bow windshield
Eric Holt, Chief Commercial Officer of Holt Logistics, said: “This vessel’s arrival in Philadelphia will be noticed by shippers and shipping executives all over the world. It represents the next great chapter of the port.”
