A record-breaking cargo ship has arrived at Patrick Terminals in Port Botany, bringing in goods like clothing, white goods, furniture, electronics and machinery for the people of NSW.
The vessel – the CMA CGM Estelle – is almost 300m long, about three football fields in length, and weighs a whopping 95,256 tonnes.
Estelle has nabbed the top spot as the ship carrying the greatest number of containers to ever visit Australia – with the equivalent of almost 11,000 twenty-foot shipping containers on board. The previous record was set by the CMA CGM Ural in 2020, which had 10,662 containers.
NSW Ports CEO Marika Calfas welcomed the vessel’s arrival and said it demonstrated the infrastructure capabilities of Port Botany.
“Estelle’s arrival showcases Port Botany’s capabilities – like the deep-water shipping channel and premier infrastructure facilities that enable the port to service vessels of this scale. Port Botany being centrally located in the heart of the population and business centre of NSW keeps freight costs lowest for everyone across the state – residents, businesses and farmers alike,” she said.
“A fun fact for those who live in Sydney – about 42 per cent of all goods in your home have arrived via container through Port Botany. So, if you look around your house, chances are you’ve got many items that have passed through this port.”
The ship is berthed at Patrick Terminals which have the largest ship-to-shore cranes in Australia. Thousands of containers will be offloaded over the next 24 hours.
Patrick Terminals CEO Michael Jovicic said the CMA CGM Estelle is an impressive sight.
“These large container vessels are the vessels of the future and Patrick Terminals has invested significantly with cranes, infrastructure and automation to efficiently service this next generation of large ships,” he said.
“We’re thrilled to service this record-setting vessel in Port Botany and look forward to achieving new milestones in the future as these larger vessels call into Australia to support our nation’s businesses and their customers.”
