South Pacific International Container Terminal (SPICT) and Motukea International Terminal (MIT), International Container Terminal Services, Inc.'s (ICTSI) operations in the ports of Lae and Motukea, have marked a record as they welcomed the largest boxship to ever dock in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands region.

ICTSI said in a statement that 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's main ports to Papua New Guinea 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.

ICTSI noted that the cranes are the first of their kind and currently the largest port equipment in Papua New Guinea. Additionally, MIT has doubled its waterside capability this year by adding another mobile harbour crane to ensure a safer and faster turnaround of ships.

"We appreciate Mariana Express Line Ltd., a subsidiary of Pacific International Lines (PIL), for the trust in us to ensure the success of this gearless vessel addition to PNG trade. We are looking forward to seeing more gearless vessels being deployed in the future," Maxwell added.