[030315.EN.SEA] 18,300 TEU Munkebo Maersk Becomes Biggest Ship to Sail Up The Thames

THE 18,300-TEU Munkebo Maersk became the largest ship to ever sail up the River Thames as it called at DP World London Gateway, Britain's newest deep-sea container port.

The 399-metre long, 60-metre wide, 195,000 ton Triple-E class vessel near the length of four football pitches, is one of the world's biggest containerships.

The ship was drawn alongside DP World London Gateway Port, adjacent to Europe's biggest logistics park with the help of the Port of London Authority pilots.

It comes just weeks after the Edith Maersk called at DP World London Gateway, which at 366 metres, had held the previous record as the biggest ship to sail the Thames, said the DP World press release.

With the world's biggest quay cranes, automated technology, London Gateway enables vessels of this size and bigger to berth closer to two thirds of the UK market, removing unnecessary supply chain costs, said the release.

"This is yet another record and landmark moment. By welcoming the Munkebo Maersk we have demonstrated we are more than capable of handling the world's biggest containerships," said London Gateway CEO Simon Moore.

"But ships are only going to get bigger and DP World London Gateway has been built to future-proof its operational capacity, delivering efficiency that simply can't be achieved elsewhere," he said.

Source : HKSG.