Ports : HMM Algeciras arrives at DP World’s London Gateway on the morning of tomorrow

 The world’s largest container ship is due to arrive at DP World‘s London Gateway on the morning of Sunday 14 June after months of planning by PLA pilots, harbour masters and hydrographers.

HMM Algeciras can carry up to 24,000 20-foot equivalent container units and arrives in London after calling at Qingdao, Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Yantian, through the Suez Canal to Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp.

Dave Newbury, marine pilotage manager at the PLA, said that in February, they became aware that a large HMM ship might be visiting in the summer. “We contacted Marin, who make software for our simulator to see if they had a similar model. They didn’t, so we had to have one made bespoke,” he said.

Meanwhile, our hydrographers began consulting with senior pilots on the likely route for the ship, to ensure that they had the most up to date information on the depths of channel.

Port hydrographer, John Dillon-Leetch, said the surveys found an extra 20 cm of depth in certain areas, giving pilots more time to make the passage. They also discovered deeper water close to the existing deep-water channe