Salalah sets new record for container vessel size handled at its container terminal 2020-05-08

On 8th May 2020, Salalah Port received MSC Isabella which is the biggest container vessel to ever call Oman. The vessel which belongs to the Gulsun class, is also the biggest in the MSC fleet and is the second largest container vessel in the world today.

The vessel is deployed by MSC in the 2M ( Maersk and MSC) alliance on the Asia Europe sector and is one of the most fuel efficient and ecofriendly vessels in the world and has 10 sister vessels of the same class. Till recently, this class of vessel was the biggest container vessel in the world.

Mr. Mark Hardiman, CEO for Port of Salalah stated “We are honored to receive MSC Isabella in Salalah. This vessel call demonstrates our ambition to continue to be one of the major container hubs in the region and an integral part in the global transport and supply chain ecosystem. Logistics is an important pillar in the economic diversification plan of the Government of Oman. Port of Salalah has and intends to continue to play a vital role in this ambitious economic diversification strategy and are working with all stakeholders to ensure that we expand our capacity and capabilities to cater to the evolving needs of our customers.”

On this occasion, Eng. Abdulrahman bin Salim al Hatmi, CEO of ASYAD, said “ The arrival of the world’s largest ship at the Port of Salalah gives a great pride to the logistic sector in the Sultanate of Oman, as this demonstrates the significance of the Government’s investments in Omani ports as they are one of the most important economic and service facilities in the country, so that they can be at the highest level of readiness to meet the requirements of mega ships that use ports which satisfy international standards”.

He also stated “This achievement highlights the success of the strategic partnership with our partner APM Terminals, the world's leading container ship operator, and is the result of the great efforts to raise the volumes that the port handles.” The vessel was delivered to MSC in August 2019 is about 400 M long and has a capacity of 23,656 TEUS. The size of the vessel is approximately equal to the length of 4 football fields placed end to end and if all the containers she can carry were placed in a single line, that line would stretch for 144 Km.

Previous Press Release Next Press Release