The Port of Philadelphia recently welcomed the largest container ship to ever visit America’s East Coast, writes Cherise Lynch for NBC 10 Philadelphia.

Its name is the CMA CGM Marco Polo, and it is now docked at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal on the Delaware River. 

The massive vessel is 1,300 feet long. To compare, the vessel is 180 feet taller than the city’s tallest building, the Comcast Technology Center on Arch Street, and longer than four football fields combined.

NBC 10 reported that the vessel is holding over 16,000 containers, primarily filled with fruit and vegetables. 

“This vessel is the manifestation of years of hard work preparing for this newer class of vessels,” Executive Director and CEO of PhilaPort Jeff Theobald said in a news release.”It has always been our goal to be able to handle these vessels which have become the workhorse of maritime trade around the world.”

According to officials, Marco Polo is part of CMA CGM’s “NAMEX” service, which is expected to have an economic impact of up to $81 million a year. It is also projected to provide up to 600 direct and indirect jobs for the Greater Philadelphia region. 

Read more about the large vessel that now sits on the Delaware River and its ramifications in NBC 10 Philadelphia.

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