Container ship makes a big impression

PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN
PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN
Port Otago tugs manoeuvre container ship SFL Maui towards the Port Chalmers container berth at dawn yesterday.

Port Otago commercial manager Craig Usher said that at a 6800 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) capacity, the container ship was believed to be the largest-capacity vessel to berth in Port Chalmers.

"She’s definitely not the longest [270m], but she’ll be one of the widest at 42m," he said.

The ship was an extra vessel Maersk had put into service while maintenance work was done on other vessels intermittently in Singapore.

Website vesselfinder.com says SFL Maui left Yantian, China, on October 14 and stopped in Malaysia, Singapore and Tauranga before it arrived in Port Chalmers yesterday.

It leaves about 11.15am today and is due in Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia, on November 28.

While shipping supply chain issues were making global headlines, Port Otago was faring well at present, Mr Usher said.

The port was not over capacity at the terminal at the moment, he said.

There was a continual flow of key vessels that picked up a large portion of export cargo.