Ship Breaks Record for Largest Container Vessel to Dock at N. American Port

On Wednesday afternoon, the MSC Fabiola container ship sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge and tied up in Oakland where it unloaded its cargo, making it the largest vessel to ever enter San Francisco Bay.

Longer than an aircraft carrier at 1,201 feet, the MSC Fabiola is the first of a new generation of supersize container vessels. It can carry about 12,500 20-foot-long cargo containers. It has also broken the record for the largest container ship to ever dock at a North American port. Its first port of call was at Long Beach on Monday. At its full capacity, the monstrous ship moves 166,000 tons.

Even more massive ships are being built in Asia, and more are in the plans as ships keeps growing in size. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, The MSC Fabiola broke the record for the largest ship in San Francisco Bay set by the 1,132-foot-long, 151,000-ton passenger liner Queen Mary 2, which arrived on Super Bowl Sunday 2007.

The MSC Fabiola has steep steel sides, a plain gray hull and a white superstructure; containers will constantly be stacked in the holds and on deck. Upon its arrival into San Francisco, it drew 36 feet of water while only half full and the ship’s entrance was carefully timed with the currents in the bay. Minimum currents are most advantageous.

Reports state that before it sails again, the MSC Fabiola must be turned around in the estuary - a particularly complicated maneuver because the turning basin is about 1,400 feet wide, which leaves only 200 feet to spare.

Also, these new very large ships require two pilots; while regular ships usually only require one. Extensive training and preparations have been handled accordingly in the case of piloting the MSC Fabiola and other ships of its size. Crew members said the task included computer models, including over 50 simulated runs with different conditions, including currents, wind and different applications of rudder and engine configurations. In addition, a total of 19 pilots were involved in an intense five-day-long simulator study. The pilots also carried special computer navigation devices with them when they boarded the ship, so they would have their own information as to the course, speed and heading of the ship.

The MSC Fabiola does represent a new group of large ships, but also is a symbol of the increasing complexity of global trade. The ship was built in Korea in 2010, is owned by Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Corp., flies the flag of Liberia, and carries cargo between China and North America.