Milestone for Vizhinjam Port: Ultra-large vessel MSC Turkiye will dock today

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The MSC Turkiye, part of the world's largest container ship series, is set to dock at Vizhinjam port at 5:30 pm today, marking its first stop in South Asia. This ultra-large vessel, owned by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), measures 399.9 meters in length and 61.3 meters in width, with a capacity to carry 24,346 containers. It is recognized as the most fuel-efficient and least carbon-emitting container ship.

The ship departed from Singapore on April 2 and will unload about 3,000 containers at Vizhinjam before departing by Wednesday night or Thursday. This milestone occurs even before the port's official commissioning. Notably, MSC Turkey is part of a six-ship series capable of carrying the highest container volumes, and no ship from this series has previously visited ports in Dubai or Colombo.

Since its trial operations began last July and commercial operations in December, Vizhinjam port has handled 5 lakh containers across 246 ships, averaging 3,000 containers daily. MSC Claude Girardet, with a capacity of 24,116 containers, had previously docked at Vizhinjam in September.

Ultra-large cargo ships like MSC Turkey are massive, spanning over four football fields in size and typically carrying around 24,000 containers. Other ships in this category include Meta, Gemma, Celestino Maresca, and Nicola Mastro. Built in Turkey in 2023 and having Liberia's flag, MSC Turkiye operates on 30 services across 230 international routes, transporting 20 lakh containers annually. The ship has received prestigious awards such as the Golden Anchor and Atlas Logistics and was named to commemorate Turkey's 100th Republic Day.

The ease of docking ultra-large vessels at Vizhinjam is expected to enhance its global reputation. MSC Turkey travels at a speed of 15.1 knots (28 km/h). Headquartered in Geneva, the MSC company itself operates across 155 countries with a fleet of 860 ships and handles over 22.5 million TEUs annually.