World’s Largest Container Ship Drifts Off Vizhinjam Port Due to Congestion

The world’s biggest container vessel, MSC Irina, has arrived at the outer anchorage of Vizhinjam International Seaport, marking its first-ever call to a South Asian port.

The ship is operated by the Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s largest container shipping company.

The ultra-large container vessel (ULCV) is part of a six-ship Irina-class series and can carry up to 24,346 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), the largest container capacity for any ship in the world.

The vessel is 399.99 metres long and 61.3 metres wide, with a summer deadweight of 240,739 tonnes, making it equivalent in length to four football fields. Containers stacked aboard the ship can reach the height of a 22 to 25-storey building.

The ship reached Vizhinjam’s outer anchorage on Tuesday evening, June 3, but it has not yet docked due to congestion. Six ships are currently in the queue, and berthing is expected to happen by June 6, 7, or 8, depending on availability.

MSC Irina has since shut off its engines and is drifting outside the port limits. Port authorities have confirmed that the ship is expected to handle around 4,000 container movements during its stay.

This is the third vessel from the Irina-class to call at Vizhinjam. MSC Türkiye and MSC Michel Cappellini, both belonging to the same class, have previously docked at the port.

MSC Irina is also part of the Jade service route, which connects Europe and Asia via the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Its last port of call was Singapore, from where it sailed on May 28 toward Kerala.

The port has been gaining attention globally and has handled about 7.2 lakh TEUs since its trial run and operational launch. In the current financial year alone, Vizhinjam has managed 2.20 lakh TEUs, port authorities said.

The ship’s captain, Willy Antony, 47, hails from Puranattukara in Thrissur, Kerala. He has 29 years of experience as a mariner and has visited over 120 countries. He has been commanding MSC Irina since its commissioning in March 2023 and began his current contract from Singapore in April. His wife and son accompanied him for part of the journey and disembarked at Singapore.

Speaking over messages, Captain Willy expressed his joy at bringing the vessel to his home state. However, he also expressed disappointment at not being able to disembark or meet friends and family. Vizhinjam currently lacks facilities for crew change and shore leave, making it impossible for the 35-member crew to step ashore.

Willy said that crew changes were allowed briefly earlier, but those services are currently inactive, and there is no immigration clearance or shore leave permitted at the moment. He mentioned that even his family could not come on board while the ship was anchored.

The crew onboard continues with their routine duties even while drifting. The ship, though stationary in terms of propulsion, is subject to wind and current, meaning it will move within the anchorage area.

Crew members maintain navigational watches and collision checks regularly. The ship’s operations are divided into two departments, deck and engine. The deck side handles navigation, led by the captain, with chief, second, and third officers, while the engine side is managed by the chief engineer and his team, including second, third, and fourth engineers along with trainees.

The vessel, which sails under the Liberian flag, will need four tugs to assist in its berthing due to its enormous size, double the usual number of tugs required. Monsoon conditions may make berthing slightly more challenging, but Captain Willy said that the port has an experienced team, including two of his former colleagues, to handle the job.

Captain Willy added that while he does not know the exact contents of the over 24,000 containers, all the cargo is listed in a Bill of Lading, managed by the shipper and the shipping line.

Vizhinjam authorities are preparing a special welcome for Captain Willy, including a custom-made memento, just as they had presented to the captain of San Fernando, the first mother vessel to call at the port in July 2023. Other major vessels like MSC Claude Girardet (September 2024) and MSC Turkiye (April 2025) have also helped put Vizhinjam on the international maritime map.

After completing its two-day stop at Vizhinjam, MSC Irina will continue its journey to Spain.

References: The Hindu, onmanorama

Source: Maritime Shipping News