Halifax’s deep harbour and big-ship infrastructure came into play Saturday as the port received its largest vessel call to date.
The Port of Halifax welcomed the CMA CGM T. Jefferson, 366 metres long and 48 metres across at its widest point, at the PSA Halifax south-end container terminal at about 5 p.m.
The container ship sails in a weekly service operated by the Ocean Alliance, from South Asia to the East Coast of America.
PSA Halifax, with a terminal area of 32 hectares, a quay length of 1,045 metres and a depth of 16.5 metres, is the only Canadian port in Eastern Canada that can accommodate these ultra-class vessels, according to a news release.
“At PSA Halifax, we have everything in place to handle the larger ships now calling on the East Coast of North America,” Kim Holtermand, CEO and managing director of the terminal operator, said in the release.
“We have the capability and determination among a dedicated workforce to meet the opportunity for growth that these vessels represent for eastern Canada. As we look forward to the arrival of a new ship-to-shore gantry crane built specifically for these vessels, the timing of this arrival highlights the strength of our partnership with the Ocean Alliance carriers that run this service, the many short-sea operators and CN that support it, and with CMA CGM in particular, as the vessel operator.”
Allan Gray, president and CEO of the Halifax Port Authority, said the arrival of the first vessel of this type is a milestone.
“Any time a containerized cargo ship calls on Halifax, it means labour hours for those working the vessel, it means opportunity for cargo owners moving goods through our gateway, and the fact that this is the largest container vessel to call on Halifax to date underscores our position and reputation as an efficient and reliable deep-water international gateway port,” Gray said.
Meanwhile, the port authority and PSA Halifax say they have implemented measures and issued guidelines to provide employees with protection during the coronavirus outbreak.
As of Friday, there have been no container vessel diversions, no container vessel arrival/departure berth congestion and no reported labour shortages among the terminals, pilots, tugs or marine traffic control, according to the release, and CN Rail is providing daily intermodal service in Canada and the U.S. Midwest.
The Port of Halifax bills itself as Canada’s Ultra Atlantic Gateway, connecting to about 150 countries and generating $2 billion in annual economic benefit from its cargo and cruise businesses.
