Capturing the moment as the sun breaks through the clouds, heralding in a new day of work at the bustling transhipment hub, the Malta Freeport Terminals has shared an epic picture shouding the CMA CGM Kimberley container ship.

The 15,000 TEU LNG container ship can be seen at Terminal One on one of its calls on the MEX1 Service, the Malta Freeport Terminals shared.

Other major shipping lines calling at the freeport include the Ocean Alliance – CMA CGM, Cosco, OOCL and Evergreen, as well as MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, Marfret and ONE.

“The Freeport is an essential link for the local and international commercial community, providing links to 110 ports worldwide, over 50 of which are in the Mediterranean.”

Despite major challenges facing the global shipping industry, with a major back log and pent up demand, COVID disrupting factories, rising prices of raw materials and rising prices of shipping costs, the Malta Freeport Terminals continues to be fundamental to Malta’s island economy.

Last year, the Government announced a €37 million investment project, seeing it spend around €13 million on an onshore power facility to provide power to berthed ships, allowing them to switch off their engines, thus reducing harmful emissions and disruptive noise for local residents.

As announced by Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi this project  will be co-financed by the European Union through the Just Transition Fund.

Also key among the investments, is the purchase by Malta Freeport Terminals of two megamax quayside cranes for €20 million, with the capacity of operating 23,000 TEU vessels  from world leading manufacturers Liebherr Container Cranes. These were assembled on site and are now fully operational. These cranes feature "outstanding specifications" including an outreach of 72m, an air draft of 54m and twin-lift spreader capability.

Malta Freeport Terminals is proud to be already handling the most modern 23,000 TEU vessels in the CMA CGM fleet, which are powered by LNG and emit 20 per cent less CO₂ than conventional vessels.

These LNG vessels are deployed on the FAL1 service which calls Malta every week en route from North Europe to Asia.  Malta Freeport says it is only able to attract business of this nature because of the strategic decision taken to invest in six megamax quay cranes, which have the capability to stack rows 11-containers-high onto these huge ships.

History

Malta’s Freeport was first established in 1988 and experienced consistent growth to become a major transshipment port in the Mediterranean region.

It undertook a corporate restructuring programme as part of its strategy to consolidate its eminence internationally. The organisational changes which were completed in 2001 are said to have significantly improved the efficiency of its operations and provide a clear distinction between the authority and the operator. Malta Freeport Corporation Limited now solely fulfils the role of landlord and authority over the Freeport zone while Malta Freeport Terminals Limited is now the single operating company of both container terminals and the warehousing facilities.

The Malta Freeport Terminals company was privatised in 2004 and has invested over €320 million in its facilities.

The facility now has a shareholding structure composed of Terminal Link, the leading container terminal operator; Yildirim Group, one of the leading global diversified industrial groups in Turkey; the strong presence of CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest shipping line; and China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited, the largest terminal operator in China