TAIPEI: A giant container vessel arrived in Kaohsiung Saturday, successfully docking in the Port of Kaohsiung. The 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) Benjamin Franklin started to sail toward the Kaohsiung harbor at around 7 a.m. and smoothly docked in the port at around 8 a.m., assisted by port personnel who piloted the ship in the water way. It was the first time for Kaohsiung harbor to accommodate such a big container vessel. TEUs are used to gauge the size of container ships.
Lee Tai-hsin , president of the Taiwan International Ports Corp. (TIPC), which supervises operations of harbors in the country, said that before the arrival of the Benjamin Franklin, the largest-ever vessels Kaohsiung harbor had seen had a capacity of 13,000 TEUs to 14,000 TEUs.
Lee said that the previous large-sized vessels docking in Kaohsiung were 368-meter long and 51-meter wide, smaller than the Benjamin Franklin, which is 399-meter long and 54-meter wide. He even likened the Benjamin Franklin vessel to the Airbus A380, one of the largest planes in the aviation industry, saying that it is the giant in the global container shipping business.
Lee added that there are currently 37 container vessels with a capacity of 18,000 TEUs or larger serving the sector. The Benjamin Franklin vessel was built in 2015 and now belongs to CMA CGM S.A, a French shipping company. The shipper assigns the vessel to serve a West American route, stopping in Hong Kong, Yentien of China, Kaohsiung, Long Beach of the United States and Auckland of New Zealand.
The container ship had been previously scheduled to sail to Kaohsiung from Yentien Friday, but heavy fog interrupted its schedule. Lee added that the docking of the Benjamin Franklin has been the newest challenge for Kaohsiung harbor but the port’s advance careful planning helped it overcome the challenge.
He said that to pilot the Benjamin Franklin vessel into the Kaohsiung port, his company had taken lots of efforts in coordinating with relevant agencies. In addition, the TIPC had worked closely with the Taiwan branch of CMA CGM to get the job done.
Lee said that the successful docking of the Benjamin Franklin showed the efficiency of the Kaohsiung harbor, adding that its arrival was evidence that the harbor is able to handle such a giant vessel. After loading and unloading cargo, the Benjamin Franklin is scheduled to leave Kaohsiung for Long Beach on Sunday.