Thiruvananthapuram, June 9 (IANS) Karan Adani, Managing Director of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), said on Monday that he is proud to welcome MSC Irina, the world’s largest container ship with a capacity of 24,346 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), to the Adani Group’s Vizhinjam International Seaport.

In a historic feat, MSC IRINA has arrived at the Seaport, which will be berthed till Tuesday.

“Proud to welcome MSC Irina, the world’s largest container ship with a capacity of 24,346 TEUs, to our Vizhinjam Port,” Karan Adani said in a post on the X social media platform.

“This marks the vessel’s maiden visit to South Asian shores, making it a milestone not just for Vizhinjam but for India’s emergence as a key player in global transshipment. A bold vision now in motion,” the Adani Ports Managing Director noted.

With a length of 399.9 metres and a width of 61.3 metres, the vessel is approximately four times longer than a standard FIFA-designated football field. Designed specifically to facilitate the transportation of large volumes of containers between Asia and Europe, the MSC IRINA is pivotal in enhancing trade routes and logistics efficiency.

The monumental arrival marks a significant milestone for the seaport, which was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 2.

The MSC IRINA was launched in March 2023 and embarked on its maiden voyage in April of the same year. It sails under the Liberian flag and is engineered to stack containers up to 26 tiers high, offering unparalleled capacity in container stacking.

Meanwhile, Adani Ports handled 450 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo in FY 2024-25, marking a 7 per cent year-on-year growth. Mundra, APSEZ’s flagship port, achieved a historic feat by surpassing the 200 MMT cargo mark in a single fiscal, a first for any Indian port.

APSEZ aims to become the world’s largest port operator by 2030, achieve carbon neutrality by 2025, and attain net-zero emissions by 2040.

–IANS

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