Japan’s first 16m deep-water berths

The Port of yokohama is increasing the water depth of the MC-1 and MC-
2 container berths at Minami Honmoku Pier in response to the growing s
ize of container vessels. Additionally, final approval was received th
is July from the national Port and Harbour Council to increase the ber
th lengths as well as the terminal areas.
Upon receiving this approval, the Port of Yokohama began construction
to increase the water depth this September.
Construction on Minami Honmoku Pier began in 1990 to create the newest
and best-equipped container pier to respond to the ever- increasing s
ize of vessels as well as create efficient and highly developed logist
ics faculties.
The Minimi Honmoku MC-1 and MC-2 container terminals boast Japan’s fi
rst 16 meter berths and will open next spring. The largest possible co
ntainer vessels navigating key routes connecting North America, Asia,
and Europe will be able to smoothly enter and exit the port via these
terminals.
The terminals will have an area of 37.5 hectares and, at 17,000TEU, th
e largest container storage capacity in Japan. The combined length of
the MC-1 and MC-2 berths will be 750 meters and they will be equipped
with 5 mega-gantry cranes capable of accommodating 22 rows of containe
rs.
Terminal facilities such as gates and management building are currentl
y under construction and scheduled to be completed prior to the termin
al’s opening in the spring.
Planning is underway for the second phase of construction at Minami Ho
nmoku Pier, which would create berths deeper than 16 meters at MC-3 an
d MC-4 container terminals. Facilities required of the next generation
of container terminals by the increasing size of container vessels an
d the automatization of terminals are being planned and will subsequen
tly proceed with an eye on trends in marine transportation.