APM Terminals Quetzal welcomes Guatemala’s largest ever Containership

THE HAGUE: This month, APM Terminals Quetzal welcomed the WAN HAI A01, one of Wan Hai Lines’ largest container ships. Built in 2023, the 13,248 TEU ship is 336 metres long and 51 metres wide andhasamaximumdraughtof15.1metres.Asthelargest vessel to ever berth in Guatemala, it marked a new milestoneinthecountry’shistory.

APMTerminalsQuetzalisthelargestfacilitybetween the port of Lázaro Cardenas in México, and the Panama Canal, on the west coast of Central America, and the only Container Terminal in Guatemala that can efficiently accommodate vessels of this size. Beyond size, the terminal delivers efficiency, security, control and cargo management with a state-of-the art operating system, a 350m quay, 14.5m draft and three Super Post Panamax Ship-to-Shore cranes (with outreach spanning 20containers).

Growing Guatemalan trade

The recent call is testament to the evolution of the country’s port connectivity and efficiency. Over recent years, Guatemala has increased the number of countries ittradeswithandgrownthenumberofshippinglineswith direct services to/from the central American country. With the ability to receive vessels of this size, direct services rather than transhipments, bring increasedefficiency,reducedtransporttimeandcost.

The WAN HAI A01 is the first of a fleet of similar sized vessels that will now call at APM Terminals Quetzal. The terminalisoperatingat66%occupancyandcantherefore efficientlyhandlethisgrowingnumberoflargervessels. Weekly Asia-South America service

THE WAN HAI A01 is part of WAN HAI Lines AsiaSouth America weekly service which calls Lazaro Cardenas – Puerto Quetzal – Callao – Guayaquil –Manzanillo – Pusan – Kaohsiung – Shekou - Hong Kong –Ningbo–Shanghai–Manzanillo-LazaroCardenas.