Malaysia's Westports handles biggest box ship ever

WESTPORTS in Malaysia's Port Klang has handled its largest containership to date, the 11,400-TEU CMA CGM Andromeda operated by the world's third largest container shipping group.

The vessel arrived last week as part of its inaugural deployment in the French Asia Line (FAL) westbound service between Asia and Europe, reports the Bernama news agency. She weighs 131,000 gross tonnes and is 363 metres long.

The Andromeda is said to be the first containership in the world to be equipped with the state-of-the-art 'Fast Oil Recovery System' designed to prevent marine pollution. Other innovations include a waste compactor instead of an incinerator to process shipboard waste, an electronic engine and cold ironing connections to reduce exhaust smoke while tied up at berth.

Citing a joint statement, CMA CGM said it has made Westports its transshipment hub for South East Asia, with throughput expected to reach about 2.0 million TEU this year.

"The arrival of the CMA CGM Andromeda is not only a commitment by the French liner to Westports, but also an expression of confidence in the terminal's ability to perform on this mega size vessel," the companies were quoted as saying in the report.

The arrival of the CMA CGM Andromeda comes after the 11,000-TEU CMA CGM Vela called at Westports last November.

Currently, most of the large containerships at Westports stand in the 8,000- to 10,000-TEU range. Such vessels have a length of 335 to 350 metres, while the new breed of CMA CGM vessels of 11,300 to 14,000 TEU will measure about 365 metres in length.

(Source: Shipping Online)