Hutchison Ports YANTIAN (YANTIAN) has set new records after welcoming four of the world's largest container vessels three times in 22 days.

With a carrying capacity of 24,116 TEU,  MSC TESSA and MSC CELESTINO MARESA arrived at YANTIAN on March 21 and April 4 respectively.

The 24,188-TEU OOCL SPAIN and 24,346-TEU MSC IRINA,  meanwhile, arrived on March 26 and April 11.

YANTIAN noted that the last record was set by 24,004-TEU mega-vessel EVER ALOT on July 8 last year.

All these vessels berthed at YANTIAN as their last port of call in China. 

In its announcement, YANTIAN noted that almost 400 metres in length, MSC IRINA is larger than the world's largest aircraft carrier by 63 metres.

With a depth of 33.2 metres and a deck area of 24,000 square metres (or 3.5 standard soccer pitches), they can carry up to 240,000 tons of cargo and stack up to 25 containers in height, (or a 22-storey building).

It noted that the challenges to the port mount as both vessels heading to Europe with fully loaded export cargoes, requiring deeper water depth and more efficient hardware and software support from the port.  

YANTIAN said shipping lines that operate large vessels often prioritise ports with more container volume and a wider reach for economies of scale of each call, sharpening the edges of the very few dominant hub ports. 

In recent years, upon continuous optimisation of the business environment, YANTIAN has become a top choice for ultra-large container vessels globally for its deep-water port conditions and first-class service efficiency.

With an average of over 400 calls of ultra-large container vessels annually, YANTIAN has served the new generation of ultra-large container vessels such as EVER ALOT, MSC TESSA, and OOCL SPAIN, each with a capacity of over 24,000 TEU.

Meanwhile, YANTIAN pointed out that MSC IRINA selected the port as its final port of call in South China upon consideration of critical factors such as shipping routes and hinterland cargo sources. 

YANTIAN has a unique channel of approximately 475 metres wide and 18 metres deep, and it is one of the ports in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) capable of handling 200,000-DWT vessels in an all-weather, two-way navigation channel.

With 20 large container deep-water berths, simultaneous calls of six 200,000-DWT vessels have become a new norm and a common occurrence at the quayside of YANTIAN. 

YANTIAN noted that it will continue to collaborate with all parties to help expand and strengthen the maritime economy of Shenzhen, and to safeguard smooth and stable industrial and supply chains in the GBA.