Shipping Vessel Calls Port of Philadelphia

On Friday, October 17, 2014, a new class of shipping vessel called the Port of Philadelphia to begin a new phase of transport along the Delaware River.  The Monte Rosa, a 5,500 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) vessel operated by Hamburg Sud, docked at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia for the first time, marking a substantial expansion of existing refrigerated cargo capacity between North and South America.

“The Monte Rosa represents the next generation of refrigerated cargo ships to dock in Philadelphia,” said David Whene, President of Greenwich Terminals LLC, operator of the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.  “As the first of several 5,500 TEU ships to be phased into the existing East Coast-Brazil service line, this vessel will greatly increase our capacity to deliver fresh South American produce to the Philadelphia market and beyond.”

The Monte Rosa is one of 10 “Monte” class vessels built by Hamburg Sud.  The ship was completed in 2005 and has an on-board capacity of 5,562 TEU’s, of which 1,356 slots can be used with refrigerated container plugs for transporting perishable cargo.  The ship is the first of seven 5,500+ TEU vessels to begin weekly service between the east coast of the US and South America.  Hamburg Sud is a longtime shipping partner with the Port of Philadelphia, having actively called the port for the past 40 years.