WHEN CMA CGM Estelle came into Port Botany on Monday (3 October), it broke the record for the ship carrying the greatest number of containers ever to visit Australia.
The vessel is on the MSC/CMA CGM NEMO Australia Express Service, which runs between Europe, the Indian Ocean and Australia.
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. CMA CGM Estelle‘s TEU capacity of 10,926 eclipses the previous record vessel, CMA CGM Ural, which visited Australia for the first time in June 2020.
Patrick Terminals CEO Michael Jovicic said the vessel is an impressive sight alongside Patrick’s quayline.
“[CMA CGM Estelle is] being worked upon by the largest ship-to-shore cranes in Australia,” he said.
“Patrick Terminals has invested significantly to accommodate the next generation of larger container vessels and is well equipped to service these ships.”
NSW Ports CEO Marika Calfas welcomed the ship’s arrival, which she said highlighted the infrastructure capabilities of Port Botany.
“Port Botany handles about one third of the nation’s container trade and as the record-breaking Estelle shows, the port’s deep-water shipping channel, premier infrastructure and berth facilities are well established to manage vessels of this size,” she said.
“An interesting fact is that about 42% of all goods in the average Sydney home arrive via container into Port Botany. Ships like the Estelle deliver all manner of goods on which we rely, from food and beverages to white goods and electronics, as well as building products like paints and flooring.”
The Maltese-flagged ship is scheduled to depart Port Botany on Wednesday and head to Melbourne. The NEMO service calls Adelaide and Fremantle before heading to Singapore and Colombo before heading back to Europe.
