Shanghai handles more containerships with a nominal capacity of more than 10,000teu than any other port in the world, with 18 weekly calls.
New analysis from Alphaliner shows that 20 service strings now employ ships of that size or larger, of which 16 are in the Asia-Europe trades. Two loops are on the Pacific and the remaining two strings serve the Far East-Middle East route.
All but two of these services call at Shanghai and the Shenzhen ports of Yantian, Shekou and Chiwan each receive 17 weekly calls by ships of 10,000teu or larger.
Shanghai handles more containerships with a nominal capacity of more than 10,000teu than any other port in the world, with 18 weekly calls.
New analysis from Alphaliner shows that 20 service strings now employ ships of that size or larger, of which 16 are in the Asia-Europe trades. Two loops are on the Pacific and the remaining two strings serve the Far East-Middle East route.
All but two of these services call at Shanghai and the Shenzhen ports of Yantian, Shekou and Chiwan each receive 17 weekly calls by ships of 10,000teu or larger.
Altogether, 51 ports now handle such ships, according to Alphaliner, but the number is expected to increase as another 110 ships that will carry more than 10,000teu are delivered over the next three years.
They include Kaohsiung, Yokohama, Colombo and Genoa, which do not yet handle such large ships.
In North America, ports on the west coast such as Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland are already seeing ships of more than 10,000teu, but once the enlarged Panama Canal locks are complete, these ships are also likely to make an appearance on the east coast.
Mediterranean Shipping Co leads the way by a large margin in terms of the number of ships of 10,000teu or more in its fleet, with 53, following by CMA CGM with 28 and Maersk with 18. However, the Danish line will move into second place once its 18,000teu vessels enter service.
Meanwhile, ports in Europe and Asia are being put to the test as the first of a new generation of containerships enters service, but initial feedback is positive with no problems experienced to date by the 16,020teu CMA CGM Marco Polo.
The ship is the first in the world with a nominal capacity in excess of 16,00 teu, but is only slightly larger than the 15,550teu Maersk ships that have been in service for several years.
However, the CMA CGM ships will be calling at some different ports to the Maersk vessels, Southampton being a case in point.
The south of England port has been quietly smarting over recent remarks that Felixstowe was the only UK port able to handle the latest super-sized containerships. It has now proved its critics wrong after CMA CGM Marco Polo berthed without a hitch, despite the relatively narrow approach to the DP World Southampton terminal.
“There were no problems,” terminal MD Chris Lewis said, following the ship’s arrival on Sunday.
That view was endorsed by Velibor Krpan, the ship’s master, who said that none of the ports at which CMA CGM Marco Polo had called so far on its maiden voyage had struggled to berth or work the 396 metre long, 53.6 metre beam ship that has a draught of 16 metres.
The ship will also be calling at Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge and Le Havre in northern Europe, as well as in Malta, the Middle East and Asia.
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