Dubai Ports announced the arrival of MSC Rachele, one of the world’s largest container ships at the Jebel Ali Port. The 335 meter long vessel has a capacity of 8238 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) and arrived from Antwerp port in Belgium en route to Singapore.
The high quality infrastructure facilities and equipment at Jebel Ali Port ensured the smooth and efficient handling of the mega container vessel.
Commenting on the arrival of the vessel, Jamal Majid bin Thaniah, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Ports Authority, said: “We are proud to welcome MSC Rachele to our port. The arrival of a ship of this stature underlines the remarkable facilities at Jebel Ali Port, which is one of the busiest ports in the world. Early this year we acquired four new Tandem lift gantry cranes, and nine more of these cranes will be added by next week to take the total number of gantry cranes at Jebel Ali to 39. In addition, 24 new Rubber Tyer Gantries (RTG) will be acquired in the coming days to take the total tally to 104.”
The Chinese manufactured gantries are the largest of their kind in the world and the first of their type to be installed in the Middle East. These state-of-the-art gantries are characterised by their speed and flexibility. The Crane can lift up to 80 tons in weight, with the ability to load and unload super vessels that have a capacity of 12,000 TEUs.
“MSC Rachele is the largest container vessel to have entered the shores of Dubai, enhancing Dubai’s image as one of the leading global maritime trade centers. The handling of vessels such as these, substantiates our efforts to further expand our facilities and services at the port,” added Thaniah.
Jebel Ali Port has expanded its berthing facilities, with a maximum berth depth of 17 meters. This scale of expansion at the port ensures the efficient handling of a variety of container vessels, arriving from around the world.
MSC Rachele is owned by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) that was founded in 1970. MSC is the second largest carrier in the world, operating 261 container vessels with an intake capacity of 695,287 TEUs. The company is expecting to further this growth to 272 vessels and 780,000 TEUs by end of 2005.
Dubai Ports, which includes Port Rashid and Jebel Ali Port was recently ranked among the top 10 container ports of the world, in terms of container traffic, which touched 6.42 million TEUs in 2004. Further, the port also achieved a remarkable growth rate of 25 per cent last year.
“The strategic geographic location of Dubai Ports has enabled it to act as an important maritime link between the Far East and the western countries. We recognise the need to always maintain excellent port conditions, to continue to attract heavy maritime traffic in a competitive trading environment. Shipping companies are on the constant lookout for improved technology and facilities at ports and we have been able to fully cater to the requirements of our regional and international clients in this regard,” remarked bin Thaniah.
“Looking ahead, we will continue to set key strategies to meet the rising world demand and ensure that huge vessels like MSC Rachele can benefit from the state-of-the art facilities at Jebel Ali Port,” concluded Thaniah.
