JEDDAH — One of the largest container vessels in the world, MV Mayview Maersk, called Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) in Jeddah Islamic Port last Thursday. The arrival of the Mayview Maersk is the second arrival of a mega vessel is just two months at RSGT, which underlines the facility's ambition of being the home of mega vessels in the Red Sea by offering superior handling capabilities and deep sea access. Dr. Nabeel AlAmoudi, President of Saudi Ports Authority, said Jeddah Islamic Port (JIP) warmly welcomed the Mayview Maersk. “The arrival of the Mayview Maersk at JIP confirms the trust put by international shipping lines in the Saudi Ports and our partners' capability to handle and manage such advanced technologies,” said Dr. AlAmoudi. He further said the regular services of mega vessels in Jeddah supports the Saudi Ports Authority's vision of improving overall transport cost for consumers and exporters in the Kingdom. On behalf of RSGT, Soren Hansen, Managing Director of RSGT, expressed pride in welcoming one of the largest container vessels in the world. “We consider ourselves as the Home of Mega Vessels in the Red Sea, and we are proud to see that Maersk Line agrees to that by putting in the Mayview Maersk to RSGT”. The Director of Commercial Department Kamal Al Hraishat pointed out that the company will focus on maintaining and developing its relations with all its partners as this event confirms the excellent relations, trust and confidence in RSGT from the shipping lines in terms of the services provided and the qualified personnel. The Mayview Maersk is part of the Maersk Line's Triple E vessel class, and designed to transport 18,000TEUs of containers. The vessel features an overall length of 399m, width of 60m (beam), and a maximum speed of 23 knots. The uniqueness of this kind of mega vessels that it's designed to reduce fuel consumption by 37% and CO2 emissions per container by 50%, with its twin 32MW (43,000hp) diesel engines) operating 2 propellers at the most optimal speed. The vessel is currently serving the Asia – Europe route, covering ports from Far East, Asia, Mediterranean and Europe. For this call, RSGT is expected to handle around 2,000 container moves on the vessel. RSGT is located strategically along the Asia – Europe route, and is serving some of the biggest shipping lines and vessels in the world. RSGT is ideally connected to major ports around the world, serving vessels calling ports in Far East, Asia, the Gulf, Europe, Americas and the Red Sea. RSGT is constructed as Saudi Arabia's first BOT (Build, Operate and Transfer) agreement with the Sea Port Authority, and features state of the art facilities, latest terminal management technology, and skilled manpower. The facilities includes a 300m wide dedicated navigation channel, 16.5m deep water draught, 650m wide turning basin, 10 Super Post Panamax Quay cranes, and is serving and ready to serve the next generation of 18,000+TEU container ships. Since June 2011, RSGT has handled more than 400 mega vessel calls, with an average of 4 mega vessels calling regularly per week in 2015. With this call, RSGT proved its capability in handling large container vessels, and being the main choice in the region for shipping lines to call with their mega vessels. — SG
