Evergreen’s container vessel Ever Greet successfully docked in the West Flanders port in Zeebrugge, Belgium on 17 July.
Below the water level, the boxship of 399.98 meters long and 58.80 meters wide had a draft of 16.3 meters, which is 10 centimeters deeper than the previous record. Ever Greet docked after a long journey from Sri Lanka and had 17,989 TEU onboard. The extra centimeters of draft allow ships to carry more cargo.
In Zeebrugge, 400 TEUs were unloaded, just enough to reduce the ship’s draft to 16 meters, allowing the vessel to continue its voyage to the Deurganckdok in Antwerp.
Coastal pilots from the Agency Maritime Services and Coast (MDK) guided Ever Greet after the ship reported to the Wandelaar, the floating pilot station in the North Sea.
Nathalie Balcaen – Agency Maritime Services and Coast (MDK) said, “Successfully guiding an ocean giant with that draft into Zeebrugge requires excellent teamwork. Our coastal pilots and colleagues from Maritime Guidance did a great job. I also want to thank the Technical Committee Zeebrugge, who helped prepare the entire scenario and monitored the entry from the radar tower in Zeebrugge.”
In Antwerp, the maximum draft was recently increased to 16 meters. Earlier this year, MSC Aurora became the first ship with a 16-meter draft to enter the Port of Antwerp under the regular admission policy, after a successful passage on the Western Scheldt. A significant step for Port of Antwerp-Bruges, which involved three years of preparation by various partners such as MDK, the Joint Nautical Authority, and the shipping companies. Ship agents or ‘water clerks’, towage services, container services, and boatmen also play an important role in this chain.
