PhilaPort welcomes largest vessel to call the port

The Port of Philadelphia welcomed the largest vessel to ever call in Philadelphia: M/V CMA-CGM J. Madison, a 14,400 TEUS cargo vessel, arrived at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal on Friday, December 15, 2023.

“With our deeper main channel and our super post-Panamax cranes – we can easily handle this size vessel and larger,” said Jeff Theobald, Executive Director and CEO. “It’s just great to see this vessel calling Philadelphia.”

The Madison is part of the CMA-CGM Columbus service, which provides service to and from South China and Southeast Asia via the Suez Canal.

“We have been preparing for this moment for years, improving our competitiveness by building a terminal that can handle these larger vessels, which already call on other ports along the East Coast of the United States,” said Eric Holt, COO of Holt Logistics. “It’s great to see the Port’s investments paying off with the arrival of bigger ships and larger cargoes.”

“The Delaware River Pilots are true professionals,” said Theobald. “The did a great job bringing this vessel up the River, just like always do.”