The largest container ship ever to dock in the U.S. is set to arrive in mid-February. The ship named Benjamin Franklin is said to be bigger than the Empire State Building.
Berthing The Benjamin
Benjamin Franklin berthed at the port of Los Angeles on Dec. 26, 2015. The official delegation consisted of Mayor Eric Garcetti and other government officials from southern California.
"For the first time in the U.S. History, an 18,000 container-capacity vessel called at a U.S. port. " says Jacques R. Saadé, the founder and chief executive office of CMA CGM Group, which owns the ship.
Because of the ship's huge size, modifications were made at the port of Los Angeles.
"The momentous arrival of this ship shows how the Port of Los Angeles and our maritime partners are successfully collaborating," says Garcetti.
After the Los Angeles call, Benjamin Franklin also berthed at the port of Oakland on Dec. 31, 2015. The ship left the port on Jan. 4 to travel back to China, where it was made.
Size Matters
To say that the Benjamin Franklin is big is an understatement. After all, it is the 10th largest in the world.
The ship is wider than an NFL football field and is said to dwarf even the Eiffel Tower. The maximum load of the ship is equivalent to the volume of 235 Olympic pools.
Benjamin Franklin was made in Shanghai, China. According to CMA CGM general manager Ludovic Renou, vessel size is very important in the shipping business.
Readying The World For Big Ships
The International Transport Forum reported that container ship sizes have increased by about 90 percent from 1996 to 2015.
Using bigger vessels in the shipping industry has become a trend in Europe and Asia. Renou says 30 large vessels are already being used and 75 more are on order.
For the U.S., this is a test, says Renou. He says the company plans to show commitment to the U.S. route and hopefully convey that the U.S. needs this type of ship.
Business Highs And Lows
Benjamin Franklin captain Velibor Krpan says bigger ships entail lower costs. Companies are able to carry more containers within one go. Hence, it is much efficient overall.
Krpan, however, admits that the container shipping industry is facing overcapacity issues. Most of the ships are laid off, waiting for cargo.
Having big ships also requires higher costs and more efforts to modify ports to accommodate such large vessels.
