SAVANNAH — The Georgia Ports Authority welcomed the largest ship ever to call on the Port of Savannah on Wednesday when the ZIM Tianjin docked at Garden City Terminal.
 The ship measures 1,145 feet long by 150 feet wide. Stood on end, it would stand nearly as tall as the Empire State Building (1,454 feet, including its antenna). The vessel’s route originated in Qingdao, China, arriving on the U.S. East Coast via the Suez Canal.
GPA crews will make more than 2,000 container moves on and off the vessel during its time at dock.
“This 10,000-TEU vessel represents the future of U.S.-Asia shipping,” Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz said. “The Tianjin is another example of a growing trend in the ocean carrier business toward larger, more efficient vessels.”
Foltz said ships in the Tianjin’s class provide lower cost per container slot for cargo owners — reducing the expense of delivering goods to customers at home and abroad.
“The economy of scale achieved by Super Post-Panamax vessels is the reason we’re seeing more of them in Savannah, a trend that will only continue after an expanded Panama Canal opens in 2016,” he said.
The Tianjin’s next stop is Kingston, Jamaica.