The 1,310-foot-long CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, capable of carrying up to 18,000 shipping containers, docked at Berths 55-56 at Oakland’s Middle Harbor at around 7 a.m.
The largest container ship to ever berth in North America made an early return visit to the Port of Oakland Thursday.
The ship won’t be coming back to the same terminal it did in December. That terminal, Ports America Outer Harbor Terminal, will be closing soon because the terminal operator is ending its operations in Oakland after filing for bankruptcy earlier this month.
The port has worked for years and spent millions of dollars preparing for “megaships” like the Benjamin Franklin to be able to dock there, dredging shipping channels and raising cranes to accommodate the larger vessels.
