CMA CGM Pelleas (IMO 9365788) became the longest ship to berth at Port Botany, at 350 metres LOA, when it arrived at the DP World terminal on Thursday (14 September).

The Maltese-flagged ship is 42.87 metres wide and has a nominal container capacity of 9658 TEU and 700 reefer points, according to its operator, CMA CGM.

The vessel is on the A3 Central Express service, which calls Kaohsiung, Xiamen, Shanghai, Ningbo, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane before heading back to Kaohsiung to start the loop again.

CMA CGM Pelleas is due in Melbourne on 21 September and Brisbane on 27 September.

NSW Ports CEO Marika Calfas welcomed the CMA CGM Pelleas to Port Botany and said its arrival showcased the port’s “excellent infrastructure capabilities”.

“Port Botany’s deep-water shipping channel and premier infrastructure facilities enable it to service vessels of this scale,” she said.

“There are more than 2200 ship movements in and out of Port Botany each year that transport all manner of goods that support our way of life. In fact, about 42% of all goods in the average Sydney home have arrived via container through Port Botany.”

Ms Calfas said the port’s location is the most cost-efficient for transporting freight.

DP World executive vice-president for Oceania Nicolaj Noes said: “Our workers have had multiple quay cranes working on the CMA CGM Pelleas since it docked early [Thursday] morning”.

He said the cranes were unloading containers filled with various consumer goods bound for businesses and their customers across Greater Sydney and beyond.