Aden Container Terminal, operated by marine terminal operator DP World, has serviced the 8,441 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) MSC Tomoko, the largest container vessel ever to call at the facility located in Yemen’s premier port city.

DP World Aden management mobilised a meticulous plan to welcome the Mediterranean Shipping Company’s 332-metre long mega ship, which has a draft of 14.7 metres, discharging and loading containers with its highly-trained workforce and sophisticated terminal handling technology to ensure a quick turnaround time.

MSC Tomoko was berthed for a total of 14 hours and 30 minutes, said a statement from DP World.

While MSC’s container ships are frequent guests at Aden, this is the largest vessel to visit since the terminal opened in 1999, it added.

Captain Faisal Al Qahtani, senior VP and managing director, DP World, Middle East, said: “We are pleased that MSC, one of the world’s largest carriers, has expressed its confidence in DP World’s service capabilities and quality through MSC Tomoko’s port call."

"DP World Aden occupies a strategic position as a gateway port to meet the needs of Yemen importers and exporters, and is also well placed to capture the significantly growing transshipment volumes in the Gulf of Aden region, one of the most important transit points along the east-west trade route," he noted.

"MSC Tomoko’s visit confirms DP World Aden’s frontline role as a key cargo gateway for Yemen designed to support the local economy. We commend our team of operation managers and workforce in Aden on the achievement," Al Qahtani added.

Arthur Flynn, general manager of DP World Aden, said, “We have proven experience in handling large vessels and we are pleased to have served MSC Tomoko with the high level of service quality our customers have come to expect of DP World."

"Servicing the biggest container vessel to ever visit our terminal was a major achievement for us, and we are proud of the high level of efficiency and dedication with which our operations team handled such a large vessel," he added.-TradeArabia News Service