The TEU 10,500 "Gustav Maersk" the largest container ship to ever dock at an Israeli port called on October 15th at Haifa Port and was unloaded at a rate of 135 moves per hour, using 4 of the 6 STS cranes in Haifa’s Carmel Terminal.
The immense "Gustav Maersk", gross tonnage of 98268 tons, currently sailing under the flag of Denmark, is 367 meters in length and beam of 43m., has a maximum capacity of over TEU10,000 (twenty-foot equivalent unit).
The ship is operated by the 2M container shipping alliance, which is formed by the world's two largest shipping companies: the Danish Maersk line, and the Swiss Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC). According to the cooperation agreement with the Israeli port, the vessels of the 2M fleet will call at Haifa every week en route to the Adriatic sea.
The ships of the line calling at Haifa Port start their journey from the port of Busan in South Korea, through Shanghai, Ningbo, Chiwan, Singapore and from there to Port Said and Haifa Port.
The line's ships then continue on to several ports in Europe. The arrival of the Maersk also represents the dawn of a new era, as East Asian imports have become second only to those coming from Western Europe. Israel Shipping and Ports Authority states that once the 2M Alliances's ships start calling at Haifa Port on a weekly basis, imports will total more than 200,000 containers per year.
Haifa Port was chosen as it has proven its meticulousness regarding schedules and has displayed superior operational efficiency. A month ago Haifa Port set an all-time record for productivity during one shift.
Haifa Port CEO Mendi Zaltzman said: "We welcome any opportunity to demonstrate our outstanding capabilities to shipping line decision makers worldwide." "We are very proud of the fact we have been selected, and we are already preparing to accommodate this line in cooperation with other parties such as the Customs Authority and the cargo division of Israel Railways, so that we can provide the very best services to the shipping containers as well as importers and exporters," added Zaltzman.
