Kingston Wharves welcomes largest autoliner

Kingston Wharves welcomed the M/V Hoegh Trigger, a post-Panamax vessel, to the Port of Kingston. The vessel, along with the Hoegh Target, is the world's largest Pure Car and Truck Carrier.

"This call by the Hoegh Trigger is a significant boost for the transhipment business of Kingston Wharves," said Grantley Stephenson, chief executive officer of Kingston Wharves Limited.

"We have been selected by the Hoegh as the regional hub for Hoegh Autoliners as strategic alliance as we utilise our improved terminal infrastructure to store and offer transhipment of motor vehicles. As demand grows, the Hoegh Trigger will be able to satisfy the need based on the vastly improved number of units it can transport. The fact that the vessel is able to transport larger heavy-duty roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) cargo weighing up to 375 tonnes is a major boost," Stephenson added.

Kingston Wharves currently handles approximately 90 per cent of all motor vehicles, imported and transhipped through Jamaica's ports. Including Hoegh, Kingston Wharves services five of the world's top 10 global autoliners. This has formed alliances with both domestic and regional partners to offer transhipment and logistics services in Jamaica.

The Hoegh Trigger is a roll-on/roll-off autoliner with a capacity of 8,500 units. The vessel is designed with a higher door clearance, which allows for larger vehicles of up to 6.5 metres to be transported. Its design has been done to minimise impact on the environment. Energy-efficiency principles have been followed throughout the ship-design process, and the latest technology in the market has been implemented.

Hoegh Trigger began her maiden voyage from East Asia to Europe in December 2015.