Maersk Hamburg is the largest ship ever to arrive in Israel, as it called Haifa Port this weekend. It has a capacity of 15,300 TEUs. The ship has a length of 354 meters, a beam of 54 meter and a draft of more than 15 meters. Preparations at Haifa Port Company that included the acquisition of two new STS cranes for the transporting of containers with such wide beam (21 rows) and dredging the areas by the piers of the Carmel Terminal in the port to meet the immense draft of the ship, gave the Carmel Terminal at Haifa Port the capacity needed to accept the Maersk Hamburg.
Specifically, the vessel arrived in Haifa on a leg of the 2M line.
The line begins at ports of China and South Korea, passes through the Suez Canal, to go directly at Haifa Port. From Haifa, the line goes to the Adriatic, prior to returning to the East.
From the beginning of this week, vessels of the same size will call the Haifa Port as part of the M2 line.
The vessel that follows is Maersk Havana, launched back in January. It’s actually sailing now, approaching to the Red Sea and is expected to arrive in Haifa on the Israeli Independence Day later this week.
Eshel Armony, Haifa Port Company’s Chairman commented
This is a vote of confidence by the world’s two largest shipping companies in the abilities of Haifa Port and in our strength. This is another step towards ensuring a bright future for Haifa Port, and an important milestone in our strategic plan.
Concluding, the port’s CEO, Mendi Zaltzman, stated that vessels that have the size of Maersk Hamburg don’t enter the port, unless they are thoroughly examined, concerning their physical capabilities and the operational efficiency to minimize their stay in port.
