A container ship, the MSC San Francisco, with a draught of 16.80 metres below the waterline entered the port of Zeebrugge on Tuesday. The draught is the depth of a loaded vessel in the water, taken from the level of the waterline to the lowest point of the hull. The ship’s draught is 40 centimetres deeper than the previous record. As a result the vessel can carry 40,000 tonnes of extra cargo.
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Zeebrugge welcomes record-breaking ship with a draught of 16.80 metres
Colin Clapson
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Zeebrugge, the port of the West Flemish city of Bruges, being able to handle ships like this means it is a fully-fledged deep-sea port for mega-ships. ‘The ship is 4 football pitches long and the draught of 16.80 metres is a record for a Belgian seaport,’ says Marc Beerlandt of shipping company MSC Belgium. ‘When fully loaded, the ship can carry 24,500 containers. The vessel’s arrival illustrates the fact that Zeebrugge can welcome the largest types of ships with the most optimal load.’
The MSC San Francisco sailed into Zeebrugge yesterday after a voyage from Sri Lanka.