The largest ship ever to have operated in Colombia calls at TCBuen
TCBuen, the Colombian terminal belonging to the Spanish Grup TCB, received the largest container vessel ever to have operated in Colombia. The M/V Maersk Edinburgh, which covers the AC2 service of Danish shipping giant Maersk Line connecting China and South Korea with the Pacific Coast of Central America. With yesterday’s operation, the Port of Buenaventura has become the port of call of reference for this strategic route for international trade between the two regions.
M/V Maersk Edinburgh, which yesterday moved 1,750 TEUs at the Terminal de Contenedores de Buenaventura and has joined the AC2 service on a regular basis, has a capacity of 13,102 TEUs, is 367 meters long and 48.2 meters wide. Its capacity is the maximum supported by the new locks on the Panama Canal, expected to enter into operation in 2016.
More vessels will soon be berthing at TCBuen, like M/V Maersk Elba, Maersk Effingham and others which will be joining this regular service, confirming the growing activity of Maersk Line in TCBuen since 2011. These so-called ‘E’ class ships far exceed the 9,640 TEU of capacity of the largest vessels operating hitherto in Buenaventura.
The arrival of such ships to the port of Buenaventura has required an intensive process of preparation, including specific training and simulations of the maneuvers required. To this end, TCBuen has worked closely with Maersk Line officers, pilots, tugboats and port authorities. With technological innovation as its key feature, and having completed its second phase of expansion, Terminal de Contenedores de Buenaventura is now optimized and ready to serve these latest generation ships.
“TCBuen offers one of the highest productivity on the Pacific coast in South America with an average of 30 movements per hour and crane,” says Miguel Ruiz, the General Manager of the TCBuen terminal. “This is a key factor for high-capacity vessels to minimize their stay in port, reducing the unit cost of transporting the container. The excellent turnaround times and reliability of this service allow us to address the logistics of the leading importers and exporters of Colombia”.
TCBuen is a leader in technological excellence, equipment and safety. It has an annual capacity of 610,000 TEUs and environmentally friendly operation, having completed the electrification project of the RTG cranes (Rubber Tyred Gantry) that has allowed a reduction in gas emissions. The terminal has a total berth length of 540 meters, 4 STS (Ship to Shore) cranes to serve the Maersk Edinburgh simultaneously and 13 RTG cranes.