Giant reefer ship from South America makes maiden call in port of Rotterdam
On Thursday 4 September, the Cap San Lorenzo, owned by shipping line Hamburg Süd, docked for the first time in the port of Rotterdam. At the Euromax Terminal, the captain was presented with the traditional port plaque associated with a maiden call, in the presence of Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO Allard Castelein, Port of Rotterdam said in its press release.
The Cap San Lorenzo is the fourth container ship in a series of six newbuild vessels for the shipping line. The ship, 333 metres long and 48 metres wide, has a capacity of 9,600 TEU. With 2,100 connections for reefers, the ship, together with its sister ships, is the largest container vessel for these containers in the world. The transport of refrigerated cargo such as fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish is one of Hamburg Süd’s main policy spearheads.
The ship operates a scheduled service between the east coast of South America and Northwest Europe. Like most other South America services, this one also discharges first in Rotterdam. This means that the expensive and sometimes perishable cargo can reach customers in the hinterland more quickly. In addition, the food-processing industry is highly concentrated in the Netherlands, therefore close to the port. In reverse, the Netherlands also exports a lot of produce (cheese, baby milk, onions, flower bulbs, etc.) in reefers. Thanks partly to this ‘balance’, Rotterdam is the ideal port for temperature-controlled cargo.
When the RWG and APMT terminals on Maasvlakte 2 open for business this autumn, several thousand more connections will become available.