The second-largest container ship in the world—and the largest to ever visit North America—docked at the Port of Long Beach early Sunday morning, again proving how the Port is on the forefront of international trade trends. 

At 1,200 feet long and 167 feet wide, the MSC Beatrice is capable of carrying 13,798 container units, almost 1000 more than any other ship that has ever been welcomed at the Port. It is indicative of the larger megaships that have been put into service along U.S.-Asia routes in the last few years and follows in the footsteps of other large container vessels requiring deep-water ports such as Long Beach.

“The new ships are bigger and greener and we’re pleased to be able to accommodate these vessels at the Port of Long Beach,” said Port Executive Director J. Christopher Lytle in a statement announcing Beatrice’s arrival. “We’re among the few ports that are ‘big ship ready,’ and that means that we can continue to bring cargo to Long Beach in the most sustainable way possible.”

Until 2010, the largest container ships serving North America had a capacity of 10,000 container units, but even larger vessels are becoming common as they are more cost efficient for carriers and reduce effects on the environment by expending less fuel per container.

Though the shipping industry is moving towards building larger ships than ever, there are few ports in the world with navigation channels deep enough to handle these massive liners. With a main channel that is 76 feet deep (the deepest in North America according to Port officials), the ability to handle megaships as large as Beatrice is a distinction the Port of Long Beach now owns. 

The MSC Beatrice can take up to five days to unload its massive amount of containers. It is currently docked at Pier T on Terminal Island and you can track its movements around the world on MarineTraffic.com.