South Pacific International Container Terminal (SPICT) and Motukea International Terminal, International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s (ICTSI) operations in the ports of Lae and Motukea respectively, established a record as they welcomed the largest container ship to ever dock in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Pacific Islands region.
The 2,754-TEU gearless ship Kota Gabung made its inaugural call in Lae on November 12 and in Motukea, adjacent to Port Moresby, on November 17. The ship is operated by Mariana Express Line Ltd. as part of the North Asia Express (NAX) service, which is a vessel sharing agreement with Swire Shipping Line. The NAX service connects Eastern and Southern China main ports to PNG and Northern Australia.
“This milestone highlights the growing confidence in ICTSI South Pacific terminals for delivering best-in-class service. It is aligned with our recent strong investment in pursuit of our vision of making our facilities the most modern and efficient port terminals in the Pacific Islands region,” said Robert Maxwell, ICTSI South Pacific chief executive officer.
SPICT is now equipped with two post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes, which can service up to 6,000-TEU vessels. The cranes are the first of their kind and currently the largest port equipment in PNG. Additionally, MIT has doubled its waterside capability this year by adding another mobile harbor crane to ensure safer and faster turnaround of ships.