The ship will tie in on the Oakland Estuary at Oakland International Container Terminal. The Port announced that the 1,312-foot-long vessel is on special assignment from MSC shipping line based in Geneva. Before disembarking in Oakland, it is collecting a backlog of empty containers in Southern California. Spending 24 hours here is scheduled to discharge import containers and load exports.

The arrival is gratifying for Oakland, which has aspirations for growth despite recent declines in cargo volume from the coronavirus pandemic. The MSC Anna can carry 20-foot cargo containers of up to 19,200. That makes visiting a North American port one of the largest vessels of all time. It is bigger than the 2016 CMA Benjamin Franklin that arrived in Oakland.

The MSC Anna is able to carry 18,000 20-foot containers.

The Port has dredged waterways over the past decade, and raised container cranes to receive so-called megaships. The largest freight vessels arrive daily in Oakland anywhere in North America, the Port said.

San Francisco Bar Pilots said they have undertaken extensive planning with the Port and MSC in preparation for the MSC Anna's arrival.

Maritime Business World