Gulftainer to welcome world's largest containership to the UAE

At 396 meters long (approximately the length of four standard football pitches) and 54 meters wide, the CMA CGM Marco Polo is capable of carrying up to 16,020 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit). The vessel is scheduled to call at Gulftainer's Khorfakkan Container Terminal on 5 January before proceeding to it final port at Ningbo, China on 23 January 2013, where its voyage commenced on 7 November.

The containership will cover a total distance of approximately 20,000 nautical miles over three months before making its way back to Asia. The CMA CGM Marco Polo is the first of a series of three 16, 000 TEU vessels, that will all be named after great explorers.

Gulftainer's Managing Director, Peter Richards said, "As one of only a few ports globally capable of handling such vessels, our Khorfakkan Container Terminal has the infrastructure to accommodate the world's largest container vessels and we look forward to welcoming the Marco Polo as it calls in the UAE for the first time."

Khorfakkan Container Terminal is an ideal transshipment hub with numerous feeder ship connections to Gulf Ports, Europe, Indian subcontinent and East Africa. Khorfakkan's location makes it an obvious choice for shipping lines with large transshipment volumes, who also require easy access to the UAE hinterland.