JUST A WEEK after setting a benchmark for handling the largest ship by TEU capacity to navigate the River Yarra, Patrick’s East Swanson Dock is hosting another record-breaker.
The 10,010 TEU Seaspan Breeze, on charter to Ocean Network Express and operating on its AU1 service from South East Asia, did not top last week’s 10,622 TEU CMA CGM Volga in pure container capacity but became the largest vessel by LOA and width to dock at Swanson Dock when it berthed early on Friday morning [25 October].
Patrick says that at 337 metres in length and 48.2 metres in beam, Seaspan Breeze has set a new benchmark, highlighting the capability of the terminal to service large container ships. The vessel is listed at 113,042 GT and 115,396 DWT.
Michael Jovicic, CEO of Patrick Terminals, commented on the historic event: “The arrival of Seaspan Breeze is a milestone that demonstrates the strength of our infrastructure and our capacity to handle larger vessels as needed. The coordination between our team, the Port of Melbourne, Ports Victoria and our partners ensures that we can continue to meet our customers’ requirements with world-class services. We are committed to investing in our terminal capabilities to continue to deliver operational excellence.”
Brook Paviour, MD at ONE Australia, said the Seaspan Breeze’s arrival in Melbourne “underscores our commitment to providing efficient and reliable shipping solutions. Capacity remains one of the key elements to the quality of service for our customers and to be able to bring a vessel of this size to Swanson Dock is a significant achievement towards this end.”
As with CMA CGM Volga Patrick Terminals extended its thanks 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.”
Seaspan Breeze is unlikely to return after this voyage, which also calls at Port Botany, Port Adelaide and Fremantle. The newbuilding 7164 TEU ONE Reliability, also chartered from Seaspan, will take the place of ONE’s previous AU1 vessel Conti Annapurna and will join the service at completion of Seaspan Breeze’s voyage in mid-November.
