A ship with a draught of 16.30 meters entered the port of Zeebrugge on Wednesday and that is a new record. The ship lies 10 centimetres deeper in the water than the previous record holder. The vessel’s draught allows it to take more cargo on board.
The ship Ever Greet is owned by the Evergreen shipping company. It measures 400 meters in length and is almost 60 meters wide.
"These 10 centimetres may seem like a small difference on such a big ship," says Peter van Camp of the Maritime Services and Coast Agency. "But it means you can stack more containers on deck. The more numerous the containers, the heavier the cargo and the deeper the ship lies in the water. And then every inch is welcome."
Good news for the Port of Zeebrugge
The fact that the port of Zeebrugge can receive such large container ships is good news. "Some natural ports may be that deep, but Zeebrugge was not. A lot of hard work was needed to deepen waterlevels."
"The arrival of a ship like this is prepared very meticulously, because you have to take the currents and the different tides into account. A ship with that depth can only dock at certain times."
"The transverse current in the final approach channel to the port also needs to be monitored carefully. The so-called 'Sand Pass' is only 300 meters wide while the ship is 58.80 meters wide and 399.98 meters long. Given its size and draught, the ship was given 2 top class coastal pilots, which is also quite exceptional."
The ship had sailed from Sri Lanka. Part of the cargo has been unloaded so it is now lies 16 meters deep in the water. She will sail on to the port of Antwerp.