APM Terminals Port Elizabeth welcomed the 8,700 TEU CMA CGM Bianca, marking the first call of the weekly Ocean Alliance US East Coast Loop 3 Service, providing direct service to the US East Coast from ports in China and Southeast Asia.
The CMA CGM Bianca arrived and departed on schedule with a berth productivity of 129.2 moves per hour (MPH) for the 4,393 container moves at the terminal, for 30.1 gross MPH, and average dwell for rail-destined containers of less than one day.
Until recently, container ships calling the Port of New York & New Jersey were mainly of the 5,000-8,000 TEU size class.
Infographic: Largest Shipping Alliance Ever
The Port of New York-New Jersey is the second-busiest container port complex in North America after LA-Long Beach, with a combined annual throughput of 6.25 million TEUs in 2016.
The current record for the largest vessel call at APM Terminals Port Elizabeth is 9,600 TEUs.
Vessels of up to 14,000 TEU can now transit the widened Panama Canal locks, linking US East facilities such as APM Terminals Port Elizabeth with the Far East.