The US Port of Los Angeles will welcome the 18,000 TEU CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin on December 26, the largest container ship of this capacity ever to call at any port in the US.
After it concludes its maiden call at APM Terminals-Pier 400 at the Port of Los Angeles, the vessel, owned by the French container transportation and shipping company CMA CGM, will later call at the Port of Oakland on December 31.
“It’s fitting that the largest container ship to ever traverse North American waters would make its first call right here at the Port of Los Angeles,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti.
“The arrival of the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin sends a powerful message that our port stands among the world’s greatest, and that we are prepared to continue growing and adapting to the demands of our global economy,” he added.
“With this call, CMA CGM is furthering its strategy of providing customers with the reach of a global network combined with the convenience of a personal service. It also reflects CMA CGM’s faith in the long-term growth potential of the US economy, and its commitment to increasing its US market share,” the company said in its press release.
The CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, which joined the company’s fleet in December 2015, will be deployed on the Pearl River Express, a service connecting the main China ports, including Xiamen, Nansha and Yantian, with the US West Coast ports.
CMA CGM Group said it has been working closely with the Ports of Los Angeles and Oakland to ensure there is sufficient infrastructure to support 18,000 TEU vessels.
CMA CGM, the third largest container shipping company in the world, offers 23 shipping lines connecting the US to the rest of the world.