The 15,500 TEU Eleonara Maersk containership has broken a new record after it entered the Port of Antwerp with a record draught of 15.65 metres, breaking the previous record of 15.50 metres on February 18, 2016.
The Eleonora Maersk forms part of the AE2 service operated by the 2M vessel sharing agreement between Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) linking the Far East and Europe.
Read: Antwerp Breaks 2015 Record
In the Deurganck dock, where the ship is moored, more than 5,000 container movements have been carried out, including 4,300 unloading operations.
The container arrived directly from the Malaysian Port of Tanjung Pelepas, which was originally scheduled to unload cargo in Tangiers and Southampton first.
But in order to make up for a delay at Suez it sailed directly to Antwerp.
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Robert Walter, Operations Manager at Maersk, said: “Thanks to the excellent collaboration between the Joint Nautical Authority, the pilots, the Port Authority and our shipping company, we managed to make this call in Antwerp a success, which will also enable us to make up for previous lost time.”
Luc Arnouts, CCO for Antwerp Port Authority, concluded: “Everything is possible at the Port of Antwerp: we live up to this statement on a daily basis.
“Add the private sector which embodies our reliability and can-do mentality, and all this makes Antwerp an extremely attractive and efficient link in the supply chain.”
