China’s Marco Polo, one of world’s largest container ships, arrives in US

China’s Marco Polo,  the largest container ship ever to arrive on the US East Coast, arrived on Thursday.

At 16,022 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), the Marco Polo is close to being the largest container ship in the world. The biggest is HMM Algeciras, with 24000 TEU capacity.

The CMA CGM Marco Polo arrived at Elizabeth Port Authority Marine Terminal in New Jersey and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed in a release that it was the largest ever to arrive on the US East Coast.

While the upgrading of key infrastructure makes it possible for the mega container ship to come by New York, the development coincides with booming international shipping business and rising inflationary pressures in the United States.

CMA CGM Group, operator of the mega container ship, recently upgraded the capacity of its service connecting Asia and North America, and Marco Polo marks the materialization of the process, according to CMA CGM Group.

CMA CGM Group stressed its commitment to meet the needs of its U.S. customer base, many of whom are experiencing unprecedented boosts in e-commerce sales and the resulting increased demand for goods.

“The ship will unload up to 5,000 TEUs that includes clothing, pharmaceuticals, furniture, appliances, holiday decorations, building materials, home fixtures and food due for distribution to businesses throughout the region and beyond,” said the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

CMA CGM Marco Polo stopped at ports in China, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka on its way from Asia to North America East Coast, according to CMA CGM Group.

The mega container vessel has stopped at Halifax of Canada and is scheduled to visit other three ports of the United States on the East Coast.

CMA CGM Marco Polo also handles exports of cotton, forest products, foodstuffs, reefer products and other agricultural supplies from North America, according to CMA CGM Group.

The Baltic Exchange Dry Index, which measures changes in the cost of transporting raw materials, topped 3,200 points in early May reaching the highest level since Jun, 2010.

Meanwhile, the lifting of various COVID-19 restrictions and improving mobility are driving up consumption and inflation in the United States and the consumer price index for April posted the highest growth in nearly 12 years.