Aotea Maersk, the largest container ship to ever visit New Zealand waters capable of carrying 9,640 TEU , was officially welcomed to the Port of Tauranga by Transport Minister Hon Simon Bridges on 4 October, marking a new era in ocean freight.
Maersk Line Oceania Managing Director Gerard Morrison said the company is able to bring in the larger ships as it becomes the first container line to successfully tie New Zealand to its global mainline networks.
The Aotea Maersk is deployed on Maersk Line’s enhanced Triple Star service which now offers a fast weekly connection to North Asia providing New Zealand exporters with a sustainable, direct service to important markets including Taiwan, China, Korea and Japan. The Aotea Maersk, one of 11 vessels in the service rotation, will be capable of holding more than double the number of containers of ships that currently dock in New Zealand. The ship is 347 metres in length – longer than three rugby fields, end-on-end.