MSC Sixin, 400 meters long and 61 meters wide, has a capacity of 23,756 TEU and a design that prioritizes the environment and efficiency
This container ship significantly reduces the C02 per container transported and fuel consumption by state-of-the-art engineering that reduces wind resistance
The President of the APV, Aurelio Martínez, emphasizes that “this type of vessel is perfectly aligned with the Port’s objectives of zero emissions in 2030”.
València, June 3rd, 2020.- The Port of Valencia has received the call of the MSC Sixin, the largest container ship that has docked in the port facilities of Valencia with a capacity of 23,756 TEU, making it the second largest container ship in the world. The MSC Sixin carries out a loading and unloading operation at the MSC Terminal in the Port of Valencia, on a route which started in China on the Jade maritime service operating between Asia and Europe.
The ship of the Mediterranean Shipping Company was inaugurated in 2019 and has the latest technological advances in maritime transport where environmental criteria are a priority. The container ship is part of the “MSC Gülsün” class with a capacity of 23,756 TEU, 400 meters long and 61 meters wide. The MSC Sixin has the telematic connection of the “digital containers”, has more than 2,000 connections for refrigerated containers and a design that allows a significant reduction of CO2 for each container transported compared to the average container ship operating today, helping companies moving goods on MSC services between Asia and Europe to reduce the carbon footprint of their supply chains.
In this respect, the president of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV), Aurelio Martínez, has highlighted the arrival of this type of ship “because they show the commitment Valenciaport is making to sustainability. This ship is perfectly aligned with our objectives of reducing carbon emissions and reaching 2030 with a balance between production and consumption of renewable energy. They are latest generation ships that allow a reduction in fuel consumption and therefore CO2 per container transported, making them one of the most efficient on the market. Furthermore, in the line that the Port of Valencia is developing to provide all the terminals with plugs, these ships can use electricity as a source of energy”, said Aurelio Martínez. Hence the importance of the step taken by the APV with the approval by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition, of the project and construction of the electrical substation in the Port of Valencia.
Valenciaport, one step ahead
The president of the PAV explained that “the arrival of this type of ship is possible due to the improvement of the draughts in the Príncipe Felipe dock that we carried out last year to adapt them to container ships of these characteristics. This action allowed us to anticipate future demand so that these large ships can dock perfectly”. Aurelio Martinez has also put in value that is berthing of these ships of great capacity “allows us connectivity with Asian markets which guarantees lower costs for exporters who can use these services in a direct way, which improves the competitiveness of the productive fabric of the Comunitat Valenciana to be able to reach the markets of the extreme East and all the intermediate ports of this route”.
Innovation at the service of the environment
The MSC Sixin is designed to improve energy efficiency through state-of-the-art engineering that minimizes wind resistance, resulting in lower fuel consumption. To comply with an upcoming marine fuel regulation in 2020, the ship is also equipped with a UN IMO approved hybrid exhaust gas cleaning system and has the option to switch to low sulphur fuel, or adapt for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the future.
Largest ship docking in Valencia
The MSC Sixin is the largest vessel to have docked in the Port of Valencia, surpassing by 4,284 TEU the previous largest container ship that had docked in the port facilities of Valencia, the MSC Eloane with a capacity of up to 19,472 TEU.
The MSC Sixin will remain in Valencia until Friday, where it will unload 3,000 containers, half of which will be imported and the rest transhipped. In addition, it will load in the Port of Valencia some 2,000 containers for export.