Largest Container Ship to Call Vietnam Inaugurates Cai Mep International Terminal

 

Newest deepwater container terminal starts new era in Vietnamese ports

Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province, Vietnam – The CMA CGM Columba arrived as scheduled at the newly opened Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT). At 131,263 DWT and with a capacity of 11,500 TEU, CMA CGM Columba is the largest container vessel ever to call in Vietnam.

Located approximately 50km southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, CMIT is the first container terminal in Vietnam to offer shipping lines direct access to the newly dredged and certified -14m Cai Mep Terminal Channel as well as offering 22 row outreach super-post Panamax quay cranes to the world’s new generation of vessels.

“CMA CGM is delighted to be CMIT’s first customer” commented Jean-Charles Tassoni, General Director of CMA CGM Vietnam. “We are confident in the ability of CMIT to meet the growing needs of CMA and congratulate everyone involved in bringing this important new container terminal into operation”.  On her maiden voyage, CMA CGM Columba is in transit from Asia to north Europe and is the first of the newly delivered 11,500 TEU vessels now transitioning onto CMA CGM’s FAL3 service.

"Welcoming the maiden call of CMA CGM Columba begins a new era in Vietnamese ports” commented Michael Them Rasmussen, General Director of CMIT. "We look forward to working in partnership with CMA CGM to achieve their performance goals in the Southeast Asia market.”

CMIT is a joint venture between APM Terminals, Vietnam National Shipping Lines and Saigon Port and represents four years of port development work by a dedicated project team.