The Port of Rotterdam has reported that the arrival of the Evelyn Maersk vessel yesterday (26 August) marked the 100th ultra large container carrier (ULCC) to visit the port this year, less than three years since the first vessel of this capacity (over 10,000 TEU) went into service.
'The Port of Rotterdam is ideally suited for these vessels with a length of around 400m, now on the existing Maasvlakte and shortly also on Maasvlakte 2,' said Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO Hans Smit.
'After a sharp fall in container throughput during the crisis, this market sector is recovering surprisingly quickly,' he added. 'In the first half of 2010, almost 18 per cent more containers were handled than in the first half of 2009.'
Currently, 42 ULCCs are in operation across the globe, with a further 145 on order from shipyards, and in addition to Maersk Line the ULCCs of CMA CGM, Cosco, Hanjin and MSC also visit Rotterdam.
