The CMA CGM Jacques Saade has broken the vessel utilisation record after leaving the Port of Singapore with 20,723 TEU on board.
It breaks the vessel utilisation record set by the MSC Gulsun in July 2019, which left the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), Malaysia, with 19,574 TEU on board.
The arrival of the Jacques Saade in Singapore also continues a trend of ports in Southeast Asia breaking the utilisation record. The record coincides with the Port of Singapore announcing its TEU traffic increased 3.21% year-on-year (YoY) in September 2020, a sign that it is recovering from the worst effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the number of calls to the Port of Singapore fell by 37.2% YoY, suggesting it is becoming more reliant on mega-ships the size of the CMA CGM Jacques Saade to maintain TEU traffic.
Major ports in Southeast Asia have invested heavily in automated technology and smart innovations as demand increases. The Maritime Port Authority (MPA), the governing body of the Port of Singapore, is building Tuas Port, which will be the world’s largest fully automated container hub when completed.
Meanwhile in neighbouring Malaysia, PTP is looking to more than double its TEU capacity and use AI technology to make operations more efficient.
Prior to the CMA CGM Jacques Saade’s call at Singapore, PTP was the venue for the previous two utilisation records, beginning with the call of Mumbai Maersk in August 2018, which became the first vessel to carry more than 19,000 TEU.
In a statement, CMA CGM said the vessel, the first with a capacity of 23,000 TEU to run on LNG, demonstrates its commitment to energy transition in the shipping industry.
The vessel is currently on its maiden voyage and the record-breaking call was its first at Singapore. It joined CMA CGM’s fleet in September 2020 and the carrier said it has a special place in history because of its “innovative technology”. Furthermore, it “symbolises the CMA CGM Group’s operational, commercial and environmental excellence”, the carrier said.
