Largest Container Ship in the World calls on Port of Antwerp-Bruges

ANTWERP: The Container ship MSC Loreto arrived at the port of Antwerp last night to load and unload containers at the MSC PSA European Terminal (MPET) at the Deurganckdock. It is the newest largestcontainershipintheworld.

The ship can carry 24 346 TEU (20-foot containers). It is not only the largestshipevertocallattheport,itis currently the largest container ship in theworld.AtitleitshareswithitssistershipMSCIrina.

The ship started her maiden voyage from Ningbo (China) on 19 April and will depart for Felixstowe (UK) on 28 May. It is 400 metres long, 61 metres wide and has 25 crew members. The ship transports a wide range of goods from raw materials to finished products, such as machinery,plastics&rubber,electronics,furniture...

PortofAntwerp-Brugesisorganisingfivetourstoview the MSC Loreto from the water on Saturday 27 May. All750seatswerebookedinjustafewhours.

Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO, Port of AntwerpBruges: "Calls by record ships at our port continue to capture the imagination. So today we are proud to welcometheMSCLoreto.Thisdemonstratesthatourport can receive the largest container ships. This positions Antwerp well for further increases in scale. It is our ambitionasaporttocontinuetogrowinasustainableway, with a firm finger on the pulse of the globaleconomicsituation."

AnnickDeRidder,Vice-Mayorof theCityofAntwerpandPresidentof the board of directors of Port of Antwerp-Bruges: "As a world port, our port is the economic engine of Flanders. With a world port comes a world record. With the MSC Loreto welcoming not only the largest ship ever to call at the port, it is currently the largest container ship in the world. With a record ship comes performing infrastructure. We therefore ensure that the largest ships can continue to be handled at the terminals. Record ships also need sufficient container capacity. Additional container capacity Antwerp remains an absolute prioritytokeepplayingatthetoplevelofworldports."

Marc Beerlandt, CEO, MSC Belgium: "The interest in the arrival of the new record ship the MSC Loreto confirms that the activities in the port of Antwerp still capture the imagination of the general public! This pleases MSC enormously and shows that the choice of Antwerp as a European hub is definitely the right one. The commitment of our MSC people, the productivity of the Antwerp dockers, the support of the industrial fabric inside and outside the port area, the excellent cooperation with the Port of AntwerpBruges port authorities create an excellent support base for furtherdevelopmentsofourcompany."