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Giant Container Ship Docks At Port Of Los Angeles
The largest container ship ever to dock in North America, the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday.According to the Press-Telegram, the ship is "longer than the Empire State Building is tall, wider than a football field and as tall as a 20-story building." Ok, we get it, CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin. You're packin'.
Not only is the ship impressively enormous, it's environmentally friendly and efficient. L.A. City Councilman Joe Buscaino, who represents the San Pedro area, said the ship offers the lowest carbon dioxide emissions per-container and has met 2025 emissions standards. It has potential to positively impact the local economy, too.
"This ship represents a type of efficiency that will ensure that this port complex remains globally competitive," Buscaino said. "Today there are seven gangs of longshore [workers] working this ship, which equals about 150 people. Container movement is the heart of our economy here in the harbor area."
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Mayor Eric Garcetti said, "When I look up at this ship, I don't just see a 20-story building. I see a reminder of what is possible when we all come together in this town." Garcetti said that more than a million jobs can be traced back to the Port of L.A.; across the country, one in 200 jobs come from the port. Combined with the Port of Long Beach, the South L.A. port region accounts for 40 percent of all goods that reach the United States from the sea.
The Associated Press reports that the ship can carry 18,000 20-foot equivalent units, about a third more than the other ships that are currently docked in the Port of L.A. Launched by the French shipping line CMA CGM on December 10, according to Maritime Matters, the ship's crew is comprised of just 27 members, runs its own its waste recycle system, has a chef, and a swimming pool. Nice.
As expected, Garcetti, the Mayor of Instagram, posted some lovely pics of the occasion:
This one really makes you think.
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