CMA CGM upsizes boxships calling Yokohama

The 14,000TEU APL Esplanade has made its first call at Yokohama port, becoming the CMA CGM Group’s largest container ship to visit the Japanese port.

Destined next for South Korea, the boxship arrived at the Honmoku D4 terminal with 35% more capacity than the smaller vessels deployed previously on the Asia Central South America 1 (ACSA1) service.

Before reaching Yokohama, APL Esplanade called at Manzanillo, Lazaro Cardenas, Puerto Quetzal, Buenaventura, Guayaquil, and Callao on the ACSA1 service route, which calls weekly at the Japanese terminal.

Operated by CMA CGM, the terminal has a total annual operating capacity of over 400,000TEU and contributes to about 15% of Yokohama’s port throughput.

“Our larger vessels will now cater to more inbound cargoes to Yokohama, particularly fresh fruits from Central and Southern America,” stated Hideki Uchida, President of CMA CGM Japan.

Furthermore, Takamitsu Asawa, Director-General of Ports and Harbor Bureau, MLIT, noted that the MLIT is pressing forward with creating much more attractive and valuable international container ports to cargo owners and ocean carriers “so that many container ships operated in direct route services to the world, including the Latin America region, can call at the port of Yokohama.”