Xiamen targets mega-size vessels

The MV MSC Chicago is deployed on MSC’s Mediterranean service, the Lion Express, with a port rotation of Xiamen, Hong Kong, Singapore, Valencia, Barcelona, Fos, La Spezia, Jebel Ali, Singapore, Kaohsiung and Hong Kong.

Raymond Chan, general manager of XICT, said: “Trade between Asia and the Mediterranean is growing fast. The deployment of mega-size vessels will surely ease the pressure on space allocation. Due to the rapid growth in international trade, more and more shipping lines are starting to deploy mega-size vessels calling at Xiamen.

“Xiamen Port currently receives about 20 vessels with a capacity of over 8,000 teu every month and XICT handles most of them. With its advanced container handling facilities and excellent productivity, XICT is an ideal port for handling mega-size vessels. The average quay crane rate has been kept at over 30 moves per hour since 2004. We will continue our efforts to further upgrade our services.”