The Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Buenaventura, SPRBUN, received this December 8 the container ship MSC Virgo, the largest that has arrived so far to Colombia. This giant of the container ships belongs to the Mediterranean Shipping Company, has a length of 366 meters, a beam (width) of 51 meters and a capacity of 15,000 TEUs.
The vessel came from the port of Cristobal in Panama, docked in the Colombian Pacific and then resumed its course to the port of Rodman, also in Panama.
“Today the Regional Port Society of Buenaventura sees the fruits of a port operation based on international standards of productivity, thanks to its highly trained human resources, and this is complemented by the largest and best capacity, infrastructure and technology available in the Buenaventura port node. The most important shipping lines in the world continue to give us their vote of confidence, which fills us with pride and motivates us to continue working for the strengthening of the port sector in Buenaventura and Colombian foreign trade,” said Gustavo Flórez Dulcey, General Manager in charge of the Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Buenaventura.
To serve the MSC Virgo, a program of operations will be executed with more than 4,000 containers between loading and unloading, which is possible thanks to the highly trained human resources and the robust port infrastructure that SPRBUN has, supported by 2,200 meters of berthing line, 13 gantry cranes of the latest technology, 36 RTG cranes, an installed capacity of 35,000 TEUs, 1,320 outlets for connection of refrigerated containers and space to store more than 172,500 tons of bulk in silos.
It is worth noting that in order to receive this vessel it was necessary to coordinate according to the high tide schedule, this ratifies the need for Buenaventura to have an access channel that has a depth of 16 meters, similar to other ports in the region and thus guarantee the arrival and navigability of this type of vessels 24 hours a day.
“The arrival of this vessel is a reflection of Buenaventura’s positioning as a strategic player for the national port sector, demonstrating that the country has a maritime terminal capable of handling these giants. Buenaventura’s geographic position is key both in international ocean routes, as well as in its proximity to the country’s production and consumption centers. However, it is important to take this opportunity to call on the National Government to advance and materialize the project to dredge and deepen the access channel to Buenaventura, which was also announced in May 2021 when President Duque visited the city in the framework of the National Strike”, added Flórez.
With the arrival of this large vessel, the Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Buenaventura reaffirms its commitment as a maritime terminal par excellence, working every day to improve its infrastructure and technology, which will allow it to remain competitive and keep pace with the dynamics of the sector.
