South Pacific International Container Terminal (SPICT) and Motukea International Terminal (MIT), International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s (ICTSI) operations in the Ports of Lae and Motukea, have welcomed the largest boxship to ever dock in the Pacific Islands region.
The 2,754 TEU gearless ship Kota Gabung made its inaugural call in Lae on 12 November and in Motukea, adjacent to Port Moresby, on 17 November.
The ship is operated by Mariana Express Line Ltd. as part of the North Asia Express (NAX) service, which is a vessel sharing agreement with Swire Shipping Line.
The NAX service connects Eastern and Southern China main ports to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia.
“This milestone highlights the growing confidence in ICTSI South Pacific terminals for delivering best-in-class service,” said Robert Maxwell, ICTSI South Pacific Chief Executive Officer.
“It is aligned with our recent strong investment in pursuit of our vision of making our facilities the most modern and efficient port terminals in the Pacific Islands region.”
SPICT is now equipped with two post-Panamax ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, which can service up to 6,000 TEU vessels. The cranes are the first of their kind and currently the largest port equipment in Papua New Guinea.
Additionally, MIT has doubled its waterside capability this year by adding another mobile harbour crane to ensure safer and faster turnaround of ships.
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“We appreciate Mariana Express Line Ltd., a subsidiary of Pacific International Lines, for the trust in us to ensure the success of this gearless vessel addition to PNG trade. We are looking forward to seeing more gearless vessels being deployed in the future,” Maxwell continued.
Earlier this month, Rio Brasil Terminal (RBT), an ICTSI business at the Port of Rio de Janeiro, welcomed the first call of the Sirius/Neo Bossa service operated jointly by CMA CGM and Maersk.
