The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) welcomed its largest containership ever when the CMA CGM operated Pusan C, a 9,500 twenty-foot-equivalent unit (TEU) vessel, called on October 8 at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal operated by Ports America.
“The deployment of larger vessels highlights our strong growth in container volumes and the success of the PEX 3 service connecting America’s heartland to global markets like Asia,” said Brandy D. Christian, Port of New Orleans President and CEO. “Gulf Coast container volumes are predicted to continue to rise, and we look forward to capturing the growth opportunities with our ocean carrier partners like CMA CGM.”
CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest container carrier, operates the Pusan C as part of the company’s PEX 3 Service, a direct weekly container service to Asia from Port NOLA. The PEX 3 Service is part of the Ocean Alliance which includes CMA CGM, OOCL, Evergreen and Cosco. The direct ports of call are: Singapore, Vung Tau, Hong Kong, Shekou, Ningbo, Shanghai, and Busan, Korea, with connections to over 30 destinations throughout Asia.
CMA CGM currently operates three weekly services from Port NOLA, the PEX 3 Service to/from Asia, the Brazex Service to/from the Caribbean and South/Central American ports, and the Victory Bridge Service to/from Northern European ports.
The Pusan C set a record as the largest container vessel to call at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal by 1,000 TEUs. The container ship arrived as Port NOLA continues to experience growth in total containerized cargo volumes.
Port NOLA recorded a 20 percent growth in containerized cargo volumes in the first three months of fiscal year 2019 over 2018 (July-September). The growth in containerized cargo has been driven by overall export growth as well as increased imports.
To stay ahead of market demand, Port NOLA is implementing a Strategic Master Plan that presents a menu of strategies to optimize current assets and extend the Port’s reach across all business lines.