Authorities from the Ministry of Transport, Defense and the National Ports Administration (ANP) received, this Thursday, the 3rd, in the port of Montevideo, the ship Rio de Janeiro Express, a ship that can load up to 13,300 20-foot containers. The Undersecretary of Transportation and Public Works, Juan José Olaizola, stated that Montevideo is positioned as one of the most interesting ports on the east coast of South America.
Also participating in the activity were the Minister of National Defense, Javier García; the president of the ANP, Juan Curbelo; the vice president of that institution, Daniel Loureiro, authorities of the Cuenca del Plata Terminal (TCP) and representatives of the shipping company.
The Rio de Janeiro Express ship, of the Hapag-Lloyd shipping company, a Chilean-German transport company, is 335 meters long and 51 meters wide; it allows loading up to 13,312 containers, so it is the one with the largest capacity that the port of Montevideo has received.
On the occasion, Olaizola reported that the ship is making its first commercial trip to the east coast of South America. He added that the Rio de Janeiro Express carries 20 rows of containers. “Montevideo is prepared and trained to provide a level service and attend to the evolution of ships. The capital of the country is positioned as one of the most interesting ports on the east coast of South America”, he maintained.
For his part, Javier García said that, from the country’s point of view, the arrival of the ship is important, and it is a gesture of trust towards Uruguay that must be highlighted. “She speaks of present and future,” he added. He also stated that for the National Navy, as a maritime authority, it is another point of interest.
Likewise, the president of the ANP added that the ship that begins its operations in Uruguay is characterized by a capacity greater than 13,300 teus, a unit of measurement used in foreign trade to calculate the cargo capacity of containers, which generates a unprecedented for the port terminal.
He also considered that this milestone is a consequence of the growth of the activity, the confidence generated by the port of Montevideo, the infrastructure works, and having achieved a depth of 13 meters in the dredging.
He also announced that this year the million TEUs of movement will be exceeded, since an important percentage of the cargo from Paraguay, southern Argentina, and Brazil has been captured. “Shipping companies join in the challenge of promoting and positioning the port of Montevideo as the main port of the Rio de la Plata”, he indicated.
