MSC’s Mega Tomoko in Grand Bahama – MSC’s largest container vessel made its maiden voyage to The Bahamas in February 2010. Built in 2006, MSC Tomoko stretches 1091 feet long and 142 feet wide. The call of MSC Tomoko means locals can take advantage of an all water service from China directly to the Bahamas. The visit of the MSC Tomoko is another major step in the continued commitment of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) to Freeport Container Port and to The Bahamas.
By Taylor Ferguson
Freeport , Grand Bahama – The Tomoko, Mediterranean Shipping Company’s (MSC) massive container ship, glided into the Lucayan Harbour Wednesday, February 17, 2009 . The 95,000 ton MSC Tomoko was piloted by Master Mariner Captain Tihomir Djura Andric and made history as the largest container vessel to ever call on The Bahamas and berth at The Freeport Container Port.
The Tomoko, built in 2006, stretches 1091 feet long and 142 feet wide. The vessel can hold the equivalent of 8,400 TEU’s (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units). This is more than double the capacity of the average container ship, which can only carry about 4,000. Compared to the size of a Navy aircraft carrier, Tomoko is not only the largest container vessel to ever visit Grand Bahama or The Bahamas, but also the Eastern seaboard of the United States.
The ‘monster’ of a ship, as it is being called, visited ports in New York, Baltimore and Norfolk on its maiden voyage, before arriving in Grand Bahama. The route took it through the Suez Canal, which unlike the Panama Canal can accommodate vessels of this size. The great ship draws 45 to 46 feet of water.
MSC, the world's second-largest container shipping line has made an indelible mark in The Bahamas with its Bahamas headquarters here in Freeport. MSC Bahamas has made enormous strides since it began operations here in 2001. The visit of the MSC Tomoko is another major step in the continued commitment of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) to Freeport Container Port and to The Bahamas.
MSC Tomoko Stacked – The MSC Tomoko is shown docked at the Freeport Container Port full of 40-foot containers. This massive container vessel can hold the equivalent of 8,400 TEU’s (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units). This is more than double the capacity of the average container ship, which can only carry about 4,000. On its maiden voyage, the Tomoko traveled thru the Suez Canal and to the Eastern Seaboard of the United States before docking in Freeport, Grand Bahama.
The Tomoko is visiting Freeport as part of a relatively new service operated by MSC dubbed the Golden Gate Service, which features several ships, most of them smaller in size than MSC Tomoko. Its circuit includes: New York; Baltimore; Norfolk; Freeport, Bahamas; the Suez Canal, Jedha, Saudi Arabia; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Singapore; Chiwan, China; Hong Kong; Shanghai; Ningbo, China; Chiwan, China; Yiantian, China; Singapore; Salalah, Oman.
MSC Bahamas began its services in 2001 with six service options through the Freeport Container Port with an annual volume of less than 700 thousand shipments. Today, those services and that volume have grown by leaps and bounds. Building on its notable successes in Grand Bahama, MSC Geneva answered a demand for service in Nassau and expanded there in late 2007.The employee count jumped from three back in 2001 to nearly sixty today.
The MSC Tomoko left Freeport on Friday morning headed back through the Suez Canal to Hong Kong . Another large MSC vessel is expected in port next week.
