LOS ANGELES—The Port of Los Angeles will host the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin on Saturday, Dec. 26. The container ship, which measures 1,320 feet long, is among the largest container ships to dock at the port.
Launched by French shipping line CMA CGM on Dec. 10, the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin is making its maiden voyage, and also has plans to dock in the Port of Oakland. The ship is close in size to ships that have already been sailing between Asia and Europe.
The ship can carry nearly 18,000 20-foot long containers; until now, the largest container ship at the Port of Los Angeles carried 13,000 containers.
“It is a big deal for us,” said Phillip Sanfield, the port’s director of media relations. “We have been big-ship ready and active here. That is one of the prime reasons they selected to come here.”
The ability to accept mega-ships could mean good news for the adult novelty industry: Oftentimes inventory for everything from parts and materials to finished products arrive by container ships from various locations, including China. The ability for large ships to come to the Port of Los Angeles means manufacturers on the West Coast could receive supplies and products faster and in greater quantities.
The news comes months after union dock workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach reached a five-year contract agreement with their employers. The dispute, which lasted almost a year, delayed shipments of millions of dollars worth of goods, including shipments bound for various adult pleasure product manufacturers and distributors.
The delay also was partially blamed on the newer oversized ships, which forced the ports to upgrade and modernize their facilities. A Port of Los Angeles spokesman said last year, workers didn’t expect that mega-wised container ships would start arriving for a few years, but the upgrades completed at the docks means they can be accepted immediately.
Pictured: The CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin
