PoLB Ready for Larger, Fuel Efficient Vessels

MSC Beatrice called at the Port of Long Beach on Sunday

The Port of Long Beach (PoLB) has said that on Sunday, September 30, 2012 MSC Beatrice, the largest cargo ship ever to visit any port in North America called at the port, saying it showed the port was ready to receive the next generation of larger, fuel efficient vessels.

"It shows we're able to handle the next classification of these larger ships that the Panama Canal is getting ready for," PoLB managing director Sean Strawbridge told Fox news.

"These ships are much more environmentally friendly - they burn less fuel, which is great for Southern California," he added.

The vessel, built in South Korea in 2009 by Samsung Heavy Industries and owned by Geneva, Switzerland based container line Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC), is 1,200 feet long, 167 feet wide, with a capacity of 13,798 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).

It docked at Long Beach's Pier T on Terminal Island.

"The new ships are bigger and greener and we're pleased to be able to accommodate these vessels at the Port of Long Beach," said Port Executive Director J. Christopher Lytle.

"We're among the few ports that are 'big ship ready,' and that means that we can continue to bring cargo to Long Beach in the most sustainable way possible."

According to the report, until this year container ships serving North America had a maximum capacity of about 10,000 TEU, rising to 12,500 TEUs in early 2012.

"The larger ships are more efficient and greener – the bigger loads mean less fuel is expended per container," PoLB said.

With a main navigation channel 76 feet deep, the deepest in North America, PoLB said it is one if the few ports in the world with deep enough waters able to handle the new generation of vessels.

MSC Beatrice is due to depart Long Beach on Wednesday for the Port of Oakland.