THE CONTAINERSHIP CMA CGM Volga is the new TEU capacity record-holder for Melbourne’s Swanson Dock and thus also the largest box boat by the same measure to berth up-river in the port.
The 2014-built, 113,800 DWT vessel, operated by ANL on its weekly AAX-S service from South East Asia, has a nominal capacity of 10,622 TEU and arrived in port on its first voyage in the service on Saturday afternoon [19 October] with effectively a full load of over 8,000 TEU.
Patrick Terminals said the arrival of CMA CGM Volga marked a milestone for both the company and the Port of Melbourne, demonstrating the terminal’s capability to handle large vessels.
Michael Jovicic, CEO of Patrick Terminals, said he was pleased to welcome CMA CGM Volga to East Swanson Dock: “This arrival is proof of our capability and continuing focus on operational efficiency and supply chain resilience.
“Patrick Terminals would like to extend its gratitude to the Port of Melbourne, the Port Phillip Sea Pilots, Ports Victoria and Svitzer for their pivotal roles in ensuring the safe and smooth docking of this record-breaking vessel. This collaboration demonstrates the strength and reliability of Melbourne’s maritime infrastructure,” Mr Jovicic said.
POM CEO Saul Cannon congratulated tenant, Patrick Terminals, for welcoming their largest container vessel by TEU capacity at Swanson Dock East – an achievement that showcases the terminal’s operational capability and efficiency.
“We are proud to continually invest in the port’s capacity to handle larger vessels, including at Swanson Dock, and we look forward to continuing to work with our tenants and broader stakeholders to build Victoria’s supply chain resilience,” Mr Cannon said.
While alongside CMA CGM Volga was loaded with a mix of high quality Victorian commodities including meat, dairy and grains. It departed in the early hours of this morning to proceed to Port Botany, Port Adelaide then Fremantle.
While sisterships have called at Melbourne on other services this is the first time one has been handled upriver. At 300 metres LOA and 48 metres breadth, the ship is of a much newer design generation than sisters that previously held some ESD records, the MSC-operated Le Havre and Pusan C, built in 2006. These vessels are much longer at 337 metres LOA and thinner at 46 metres in breadth but carry a nominal 9,572 TEU (or over a thousand TEU less) on a similar deadweight.
This article has been updated to include comment from Port of Melbourne.
