PORT of Melbourne welcomed CMA CGM Estelle on 8 October as the largest vessel (by capacity) ever to call the port. It departed on 11 October.

The containership’s capacity of 10,926 TEU breaks a record previously held by CMA CGM Ural, which has a capacity of 10,662 TEU and called the port in June 2020.

CMA CGM Estelle is deployed on MSC/CMA CGM’s North Europe Mediterranean Oceania (NEMO) service, which runs between Europe, the Indian Ocean and Australia.

CMA CGM Estelle berthed at Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) at Port of Melbourne’s Webb Dock.

Port of Melbourne CEO Saul Cannon welcomed the arrival of the ship, noting the larger vessels being deployed by the global shipping fleet.

“It’s really exciting to see this vessel arrive at Port of Melbourne,” Mr Cannon said.

“We are investing across the port to ensure we can accommodate the larger vessels that are calling at Melbourne.

“Port of Melbourne is well positioned to meet global shipping trends to serve the growing freight needs of Victoria and south-eastern Australia now and into the future.”

VICT chief executive officer Tim Vancampen highlighted the work being done to accommodate larger ships.

“VICT would like to congratulate the CMA CGM Group on their continued drive for efficiencies through deploying larger vessels with clear environmental benefits in the Oceania trades to support the demand of the economy and utilise the ability to increase economies of scale,” VICT CEO Tim Vancampen said.

“In partnership with PoMC in the Webb Dock Development, we are committed to supporting the Victorian shipping industry with our $235 million investment that will increase our ability to accommodate increasing vessel sizes.”

CMA CGM Estelle is 299.9 metres long vessel was built in 2018. It has a 14.5-metre draught and is 48.2 metres wide.

The Maltese-flagged ship called Port Botany last Monday (3 October) where it broke a record as the ship with the largest nominal capacity ever to visit Australia.

However, maritime and logistics expert Peter van Duyn pointed out the vessel was not at capacity at the time and suggested the arrivals of other vessels at Port Botany in the past were of greater significance.

This article has been updated to reflect that CMA CGM Estelle arrived at the port on 8 October and departed on 11 October.