About 48 hours of berth operations were required to unload the first container ship to leave a Ukrainian port that had overcome the blockade of the port of Odessa and which, after a stopover in Istanbul, chose Cagliari as a safe port to discharge 2,114 containers equivalent to 3,474 Teus.
In more detail, the container ship Joseph Schulte (LOA of 299.90 mt and gross tonnage of 94,402 tonnes) flying the flag of Hong Kong, due to the conflict in Ukraine, had been blocked in the port of Odessa since February 2022 and was the first unit to use the temporary corridor for the delivery of civilian goods.
M/v Joseph Shulte arrived in Cagliari on August 29th and completed complex customs formalities while unloading operations started on September the 4th at 9:30 am to be completed on September the 6th at 2 pm. All checks by customers, customs formalities, and insurers were carried out in order to clear and start distribution of the 1,526 full containers and 588 empty stocked in the container terminal MITO (Mediterranean Intermodal Terminal Operator) which are expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
“We were pre-advised around middle of August for this opportunity which highlighted the competitiveness of MITO, the international container terminal in Cagliari on which the Grendi Group has been investing for some time. This port can leverage on flexibility in handling operations; the storage capacity of goods in the yard (140,000 m2) and ability to operate large carriers. A logistics hub that is complemented by the recent doubling of the warehouse facilities (now 20,000 m2), 620 m of linear quayside that allow two large ships to work simultaneously and high operational service standards. This port call has also highlighted the potential role of Cagliari port in the Mediterranean Sea back to the spotlight of international carriers” said Antonio Musso, CEO of MITO and Grendi Trasporti Marittimi.
MITO, in 2022, handled 57,670 Teus (+ 92% vs 2021) with a total turnover of 3.2 mio Euro.