Finland Times

A grand ceremony was held as scheduled on Saturday at the port of Rotterdam to welcome the world's biggest container ship, the CSCL Globe owned by China Shipping Group, though the vessel on her maiden voyage was held miles away from the port due to 7-10 gale wind and 4-meter-high waves roaring above the sea waters.

        "It's an honor to welcome the CSCL Globe at the Port of Rotterdam. It's a testimony of the excellent relationship between China Shipping and the terminal operator, Euromax ECT here in Rotterdam, and also of the excellent relationship between the ports in China and the Port of Rotterdam," Allard Castelein, Chief Executive of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, told Xinhua at the welcome ceremony.

     "We look forward to further collaboration. I think the port of Rotterdam is laid out in a very efficient way for such vessels," he said, adding that it's a pity that the vessel cannot enter the port due to the bad weather while stressing that the safety of people and cargo on board has always been the primary consideration of the Port authorities.

       "Although we have so many distinguished guests here, safety is paramount and we can not compromise. We have to wait till the weather turns better and that is part of the maritime industry. We expect the vessel to enter into the port in another 24 if not 48 hours," he explained.

        "I do expect that many people will come to visit as soon as the ship comes in because the Dutch people support the maritime industry and businesses very much," added the head of the European largest port.

        For Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam, the voyage of the world's largest container ship to Rotterdam is a very impressive moment for the trade between China and the Netherlands.

       "Rotterdam is a key port for Chinese exports to Europe. Through the port of Rotterdam, China has the opportunity to reach about 500 million rich consumers in Europe," said the mayor.

        Chinese Ambassador to the Netherlands Chen Xu stressed that the arrival of the CSCL Globe at Rotterdam illustrates the win-win perspective of the development of trade and cooperation between China and the whole world.

        "Four centuries ago, Chinese goods such as tea, silk and porcelains entered into the heartland of Europe through the Dutch gateway. We call it maritime silk road," said the ambassador.

       "Nowadays, the Chinese authorities have launched an initiative to develop the Silk Road Economic Belt and to build a 21st Century New Maritime Silk Road. This is not only based on the needs of China to further open up to the world, but also a platform for all relevant regions to develop together," said the ambassador.

     Setting off from Tianjin, China, last December to embark on its first voyage on the Asia-Europe trade loop, the CSCL Globe measures 400 meters in length and about 60 meters wide, or the size of four soccer fields, Xiaowen Huang, deputy general manager of China Shipping Group, told the welcoming audience.

       In spite of its extra carrying capacity, 19,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) shipping containers, the CSCL Globe's electronically-controlled main engine, which automatically adjusts fuel consumption based on the ship's speed and sea conditions, allows the ship to burn 20 percent less fuel per TEU than ships with 10,000 TEU capacity, he added.

        "China shipping and Port of Rotterdam has a history of long term cooperation. Since the first call in 1999, the total box throughput of China shipping container vessels at Port of Rotterdam has exceeded 2 million TEU," said the responsible of the giant of the Chinese shipping industry.

     Once the weather turns better, the CSCL Globe will come into the Port of Rotterdam to discharge, said Huang. It will then set off for Hanburg in Germany and Zeebrugge in Belgium before coming back to Rotterdam in mid-January for uploading.