- Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT) recently received M/V Margrethe Maersk, which at almost 20,000 TEUs in capacity is the largest container ship to call the port and the country
- The successful call of the mega ship at CMIT is hailed as a milestone signifying Vietnam’s capability to receive the big ships deployed on the Europe and trans-Pacific trade
Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT) welcomed on October 26 a Maersk Line container ship with capacity of almost 20,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), the largest commercial container ship to ever berth in Vietnam.
Maersk Line’s EEE vessel Margrethe Maersk is deployed on the 2M alliance’s TP6/Pearl service, which connects Vietnam to the US West Coast.
The ultra-large container vessel called CMIT to discharge and load a total cargo of 6,500 TEUs, according to a release from APM Terminals.
More than 100 guests including senior government officials attended the vessel’s maiden call celebrations, which were organized at CMIT in Ba Ria Vung Tau Province.
CMIT is strategically located 50 kilometers southeast of Vietnam’s commercial hub, Ho Chi Minh City. It is the only terminal in Vietnam and one of the few terminals in Southeast Asia capable of accommodating vessels larger than 18,000 TEUs.
The container terminal—a joint venture of APM Terminals with Vietnam Maritime Corporation and Saigon Port—offers direct access to and from Asia, Europe and the Americas.
CMIT has obtained permission from the Ministry of Transport and Vietnam Maritime Administration to accommodate 214,121 DWT (deadweight tonnage) vessels. These vessels are among the few mega container ships currently sailing the world’s oceans.
Tobias Gruemmer, area head of delivery of Maersk Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos, hailed the successful call as an important milestone indicating that “the deep-sea terminals in Vietnam are capable of receiving the big sized ships deployed to Europe and Trans-Pacific trade.”
“The successful accommodation of m/v Margrethe Maersk 214,121 DWT required not only relentless efforts of CMIT but also the determination and unanimity of Ministry of Transport, Vinamarine, Vung Tau Port Authority and all relevant stakeholders,” said Nguyen Xuan Ky, CMIT deputy general director.
Photo courtesy of APM Terminals
