Record-setting cargo ship to dock in Savannah and Charleston next week. When to see it
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Attention, ship watchers in Savannah and Charleston! You have an opportunity to see the largest ship ever to call on the U.S. East Coast and Canada in the coming week.
The record-breaking CMA CGM Marco Polo can carry more than 16,000 20-foot-long containers, known as TEUs in the shipping industry. The containers fitting on the vessel would span nearly 61 miles if placed end-to-end, said a Georgia Port Authority news release.
The cargo ship is approximately 175 feet wide and 1,300 feet long. For comparison, the Empire State building from street level to observation deck is 1,250 feet.
The Marco Polo arrived at the Port of Halifax in Canada on May 17 from South Asia, according to CBC News. It then made a stop at a port in New Jersey, passing the Statue of Liberty on the way, and was scheduled to be in Virginia May 22 before heading south to Savannah and Charleston.
It is set to pass River Street in historic downtown on its way to the Port of Savannah at approximately 8:30 a.m. May 26 and will be in Charleston the morning of May 28. A specific time for arrival at the Wando Welch Terminal had not been announced.
The ship is carrying 16,000 containers of clothing, pharmaceuticals, furniture, appliances, holiday decorations, building materials, home fixtures and food, said its owner CMA CGM.
The company is holding a photo contest to commemorate its record-breaking journey. Three winners at each port city will be selected to tour the Marco Polo during its next call to Savannah and Charleston. To enter, photographers should post photos of the ship on Instagram tagging @CMACGM and using one of the following hashtags:
#CMACGMRecord
#CMACGMMarcoPolo
#CCMarcoPoloSavannah
#CCMarcoPoloCharleston
Full contest rules can be found on the CMA CGM website: cmacgm-group.com.
