The largest container ship, a 200,000-ton vessel named Benjamin Franklin, sailed from Guangzhou port to the U.S. on Monday, Feb. 1. (Photo : YouTube)
The largest container ship, a 200,000-ton vessel named Benjamin Franklin, sailed from Guangzhou port on Monday, Feb. 1, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
According to the report, the 18,000-TEU ship is owned by the French container transportation and shipping company CMA CGM.
Ludovic Renou, general manager for CMA CGM Shipping Co.'s south China region, said that the ship, which can carry up to 18,000 containers, will connect major Chinese ports such as Guangzhou, Xiamen, Yantian and Hong Kong with the U.S. West Coast.
Renou said the company is confident with the Chinese market, so it put its largest container ship on this route, adding that China's ocean freight to the U.S. West Coast increased 5 percent last year while CMA CGM's freight volume surged by 30 percent.
Aside from the U.S. route, CMA CGM also offers 12 shipping lines in Guangzhou, which will connect the Chinese mainland with Europe, North America, Africa and Southeast Asia.
The mega ship was built in Shanghai by the French shipping company, according to the report.
"In the shipping industry, size matters," Renou was quoted as saying.
The report said that the Benjamin Franklin, which joined the company's fleet in Dec. 2015, will sail weekly on the China-U.S. route.
Huang Bo, deputy chief of the port authority, said that Guangzhou port reported 521 million tonnes of cargo output last year, up 4 percent from 2014.
In terms of container handling capacity, Guangzhou port is the fourth largest in China. The port handled 1.76 million containers last year, up 6 percent year on year.
U.S. media reported that shipping companies involved in the billion-dollar China-U.S. trade are hoping that large container vessels like the Benjamin Franklin will continue with their business.
"This is a test," Renou added. "We want to show our commitment to the U.S. route and hope that there is an understanding, that America needs this kind of ship."
Renou added that the move toward bigger ships has already become an industry trend in Asia and Europe.
"Thirty of these larger vessels are already in use worldwide, and 75 more are on order," Renou said.
