A mammoth container ship the length of four Premier League football pitches made waves on its grand arrival in Dubai.
The HMM Gdansk docked in the emirate's flagship Jebel Ali Port on the return leg of its maiden international voyage between the Far East and Europe.
The Panama-flagged vessel, which was built this year, shares the record as the largest container ship in the world at a formidable 400-metres.
It also boasts an impressive capacity of 24,000 TEUs, twenty-foot equivalent container units.
The mega ship and its crew, led by Captain Hyungik Cho, were welcomed by port operators DP World and other officials.
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World's largest ships
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The visit of HMM Gdansk highlights its status as the region's leading gateway port on the busy Asia-Europe sea trade route.
"We are honoured to welcome HMM Gdansk and her crew, who are steadfastly plying the global shipping routes to keep essential trade flowing," said Mohammed Al Muallem, chief executive and managing director of DP World, UAE Region.
The landmark carrier made a suitably big impression as it made its way to the Emirates from DP World's London Gateway at the port before setting sail for Singapore, which will be the next port of call in an epic journey which started in Busan, South Korea on June 29.
The well-travelled ship has also made stops in Hong Kong, Hamburg, Rotterdam and Antwerp along the way.
Jebel Ali is one of the few ports on the Gulf that can accommodate mega vessels with the capability to handle ten at a time.
Mr Al Muallem said the port had been well-equipped to maintain operations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"It’s something we could closely identify within DP World, especially as our teams kept critical supplies such as food and medicines moving smoothly through Jebel Ali during the recent lockdown.
"The port call by one of the largest container carriers is a testimonial to Jebel Ali’s true strength and capacity.
“Our early investment in digital technology and automation ensured we faced minimal disruption at Jebel Ali Port.
"We employ today’s frontline technologies like robotics, automation, Internet of Things, Big Data, virtual reality and cybersecurity to build and sustain our efficiencies. This has underpinned our capabilities as an essential economic service at a time when our customers need us most.”
HMM Gdansk is one of a fleet of 12 super-sized vessels being built by South Korean shipping operator HMM (previously known as Hyundai Merchant Marine) this year alone.
Eleven of the ships are already in service with HMM St Petersburg currently under construction.
