Hamburg SUd, the 12th largest container carrier in the world, is the latest shipping line to make Westports Malaysia in Port Klang its home.

Its vessel "Cap San Marco", with capacity of 9,600 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and one of 12 units between 8,500 TEUs and 9,600 TEUs deployed in the South America Service (ASIA 2), called at Westports for the first time on Saturday.

The ASIA 2 service will see Westports further expanding its services coverage between South America and the Far East, improving the delivery time and connectivity for cargo shipped via the port.

Officiating the maiden call event at Westports Malaysia was Joint General Manager of Hamburg SUd for Region Asia Pacific Region, Stefan Kirschner.

"We are optimistic about the continued growth of Asia particularly Southeast Asia. The ASIA 2 service calling at Westports Malaysia will enable us to provide our customers with the best possible transit time to the key markets in South America and the Far East," Kirschner said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, Westports Malaysia Chief Executive Officer, Ruben Emir Gnanalingam said the maiden call of Cap San Marco was another historical moment for Westports as this marked the beginning of its long-term partnership with Hamburg SUd.

"We are determined to provide Hamburg SUd with our continuous support and work hand-in-hand with them to expand their presence here," he said.

In line with the terminal expansion of Westports and its volume growth, the government has given its commitment in deepening the South Channel and widening the current access roads in order to ensure that the port can continue to enhance its services to the shipping community and port users.

Westports is on an expansion mode in anticipation of the volume growth and progress on its Container Terminal 7 (CT7), measuring 600 metre in quay length.

Upon completion, it will increase Westports' overall handling capacity from 9.5 million TEUs to 11 million TEUs.

This new berth is specifically designed and capable of handling the 18,000-TEU vessels which are currently the world's largest container vessels in the order book.