MSC Flavia, with a capacity of 13,000 TEU, docked in San Antonio Terminal Internacional at approximately 10:00 hrs.
San Antonio, August 10, 2016. Today, at around 10:00 hours, docked the largest containership ever to arrive in Chile, adding a new milestone to the history of San Antonio Terminal Internacional (STI), terminal operated by SAAM and SSA Marine.
José Iribarren, CEO of STI, together with José Luis Mardones, President of the Port of San Antonio; Aldo Signorelli, General Manager of the Port of San Antonio; plus authorities, workers and trade union representatives, welcomed the ship. Upon its arrival, the first four gangs of workers started its unloading, operating four STS cranes.
“STI is proud to receive a ship with the characteristics of MSC Flavia. Thanks to the joint work of our whole team, we have achieved a new milestone for the terminal and for Chile. We have an excellent human team and the necessary infrastructure to service very large vessels, which we will see arriving more frequently in the coming years,” stated José Iribarren, CEO of STI.
«We are very pleased to be able to receive this ship in San Antonio today, and to see how STI has been capable of consolidating its position at the vanguard of the domestic port industry, with the incorporation of new equipment, technologies, and a joint effort of workers and ourselves as the port authority. It is essential to adapt to the current trend of the shipping industry, which is towards freighters with increasingly larger ships, requiring ports able to service them efficiently and safely,» said José Luis Mardones, President of the Port of San Antonio
Omar Vera, Mayor of San Antonio, also valued this new milestone, as it proves that “overall, the infrastructure, technology and human capital are prepared to progress and contribute to the development of this municipality and the country, in a very close city-port relationsjhip”.
“San Antonio is able to compete, not only in the region, but also in Latin America’s West Coast “, he commented, and added that “this arrival ratifies that Chilean ports are competitive and that the private-public alliance in the private industry, has been successful.”
This ship joins other very large ships already received by San Antonio, such as Hyundai Earth (10,500 TEU), Maersk Cezzanne (9,900 TEU) and Gustav Maersk (9,700 TEU).
Details of the ship and unloading
The ship is 366 meters long and 48 meters wide, which allows it to transport around 1,150 refrigerated containers, exceeding the industry’s average. Maneuvers consider the unloading of around 1,600 containers and close to 1,900 will be embarked.
The unloading and loading operation will take place in Site 1, STI, and will last close to 35 hours; it is estimated that 3,500 maneuvers will be required to complete the process. STI will allocate four gangs of workers per shift, amounting to a total of 90 individuals dedicated to these tasks.
