CMA CGM’s 18,000 TEU Benjamin Franklin mega-ship will berth at the Pacific Container Terminal in Long Beach in a few weeks' time.
According to Lloyd’s Loading List, Long Beach’s Middle Harbor Terminal project reached a key milestone in October, 2015, and will add 10% of capacity to the Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT) and will allow the port to handle 24,000 TEU ships.
Long Beach’s Middle Harbor Terminal is expected to open in April, 2016.
Technical Paper: Long Beach: Driving the US into the Future
Jon Slangerup, CEO of the Port of Long Beach, said: “When fully operational, LBCT [Long Beach Container Terminal] will have the capacity to handle more than 3.3 million TEU per year, making this terminal by itself, one of the largest ports in North America.”
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The CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin recently called at the Port of Los Angeles, followed by the Port of Oakland, which is the largest to ever call at both ports.
The US West Coast is expecting to hold onto its market share in the coming months, due to ultra large ships anticipated to berth at its ports and will not be affected by the increase in trade headed for the East Coast as a result of the Panama Canal Expansion.
