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Edith Maersk biggest ever vessel in River Thames

Edith Maersk biggest ever vessel in River Thames
This week, the River Thames played host to its biggest ever maritime guest – Maersk’s 15,500 teu E-Class vessel Edith Maersk.

At 397 m long and 56 m wide, with a draught of 16 m, the vessel’s arrival at DP World’s London Gateway is one for the history books, cementing a new record for London’s iconic river.

Arriving on Maersk’s Asia-Europe 2 (AE2) service, the vessel, unloaded using London Gateway’s eight quay cranes - the largest in the UK – is now bound for Singapore. The cranes are equipped with large overreach capacity to handle the widest vessels.

London Gateway ceo Simon Moore referred to Edith Maersk’s arrival as a "historic moment”. 

“This is one of the world’s largest ships and the biggest ever to enter the Thames,” said Moore. “Our high-tech facilities give us the capability to handle ships like Edith Maersk only 30 miles from the centre of London.

“By bringing the biggest ships in the world closer to UK consumers we are now reducing UK import and export costs. As we approach our first year of opening, we are delighted to see Edith Maersk at DP World London Gateway.”

With the area dredged to 17 m, the Thames theoretically has enough draught to house the largest vessels currently in service – Maersk’s Triple-E class vessels. Seatrade Global eagerly anticipates the arrival of the next “big thing”.