Port of Halifax welcomes first EC5 upsized vessel

The Port of Halifax in Nova Scotia welcomed the arrival of the 14,000 TEU ONE STORK on 26 April.

The ship is the first to sail on THE Alliance‘s upsized East Coast Loop (EC5) service.

The PSA Halifax Atlantic Hub terminal features the longest and deepest berth of any Canadian port in Eastern Canada, with a continuous quay length of 800 metres at a depth of 16.5 metres, a terminal area of 32 hectares, and five super post-Panamax cranes.

In addition, the terminal has unimpeded access to international shipping lanes, and two more super post-Panamax cranes will arrive later this year along with new yard handling equipment.

READ: Port of Halifax crosses 600,000 TEU milestone

“We welcome the deployment of larger vessels as part of the EC5 service to our port city,” said Captain Allan Gray, President and CEO, Halifax Port Authority.

“PSA Halifax Atlantic Hub has the infrastructure, operational knowledge, and experience to efficiently handle vessels of this size. The upsizing of these vessels continues to solidify Halifax as Canada’s Ultra Atlantic Gateway.”

READ: Blank sailings decay: THE Alliance skips 36 per cent of voyages

In February, the two port authorities of Hamburg and Halifax officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up a joint maritime innovation network platform during the GreenTech for Ports and Terminals Conference 2023.

The PIER and homePORT Hamburg set up the platform as an “Open Innovation Platform” to exchange best practices, solutions, and challenges.