APM Terminals Elizabeth last week welcomed the 16,022 TEU CMA CGM Marco Polo – the largest container ship to call the US East Coast.
The previous record was held by the 15,072 TEU CMA CGM Brazil which also called APM Terminals Elizabeth last September. This port call was made possible by APM Terminals $200 million investment in port infrastructure that helped usher in the new era of larger ships calling the United States East Coast, said Jon Poelma , Managing Director of APM Terminals Elizabeth, New Jersey.
“We are proud to partner with our customer CMA CGM – our labor partner, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) – and the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey who raised the Bayonne Bridge, enabling larger ships to enter the inner harbor,“ Poelma stated.
APM Terminals Elizabeth launched a multi-year construction investment in 2017 to strengthen the berth area for the taller and heavier Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes necessary to handle the larger vessels now calling the Port of NY and NJ.
The new berth can accommodate three Ultra-Large Container Ships (ULCS) simultaneously.
The deep-water berth, dredged to 50 feet (15.2 meters) is also a key component of the necessary new infrastructure.
Other terminal features include four new STS cranes, a new gate complex, and the refurbishment and removal of outdated terminal structures.