The Associated Press
The Associated Press
SAVANNAH —
Savannah welcomed the largest cargo ship that’s ever visited its bustling seaport.
The French-flagged ship CMA CGM Figaro (FIG-uh-roe) traveled the Savannah River to the nation’s 4th largest port Friday.
It arrived at Georgia Ports’ Garden City Terminal a few minutes before 8 a.m. and began working a short while later. It’s expected to leave the port sometime between 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday.
The mammoth vessel is nearly 1,200 feet long and can carry up to 8,500 cargo containers — more than twice the carrying capacity of most ships that use the Savannah port.
Port officials say the ship is so large that it can only navigate the Savannah harbor at high tide. They say that’s one reason the Savannah River channel needs to be deepened from 42 to 48 feet.
