The largest-ever container vessel to call on a south Indian port berthed on Thursday at the International Container Trans-shipment Terminal (ICTT) here. The Singaporean flagged vessel, Maersk Sembawang, has a length of 319 metres. With a capacity of 6478 TEU, it is also the largest Maersk line vessel to call in India.
The previous largest container ship to call south Indian ports was also a Maersk line vessel, the Maersk Kalamata, at Chennai port (length of 303.83 metres, capacity of 6,416 TEUs).
Anil Singh, senior vice president and managing director, DP World Subcontinent, said the Terminal with its crucial location in the subcontinent was fast emerging as an important catalyst to India’s growing trade.
According to KK Krishnadas, chief executive officer, DP World, the Maersk line’s decision to bring the Maersk Sembawang to Kochi reflects the growing faith of global shipping lines in the potential of the infrastructure at Kochi.
"This is an important milestone for us and endorses our capability to handle large mainline container vessels with the highest productivity standards," he said.