June 7, 2002: A maiden voyage ceremony was held on Tuesday, June 4, at Fraser Surrey Docks to celebrate the arrival of the CCNI Arica which, at 207 metres in length and 2,500 TEUs, has more container-carrying capacity than any previous vessel at Fraser River Port. The visit was the first by Chilean carrier Compania Chilena de Navegacion Interocianica (CCNI) since its participation in the AMPAC consortium offering an 11-vessel service linking Canada, the US, Mexico, South America, and Asia.

One of the AMPAC vessels now offering fixed, twice-weekly service from Fraser River Port, the CCNI Arica delivered containers full of consumer goods picked up from ports in South Korea, Hong Kong, Yantian, Shanghai, and Busan. It then loaded forest products, grains, seeds, reefer cargo, and project cargo destined for ports at Long Beach and down the South American coast.

“We’re pleased to welcome CCNI to Faser Port,” said Ed Kargl, Vice President of Business Development for the Fraser River Port Authority. “It’s one of the biggest container-carrying vessels we’ve seen in the port, and a sign that our container handling facilities are very competitive.” More than 50,000 TEUs moved through Fraser River Port in 2001.

The Arica was built in Stralsund, Germany and launched in March 2002. It has 3 onboard derricks that allow the ship to unload its cargo at smaller ports that do not have gantry cranes.

Over 22 million tones of cargo are shipped through Fraser River Port terminals annually, generating 10,700 direct jobs.

For further information contact:

Raija Orava
Manager,  Public Affairs
Fraser River Port Authority
Tel. (604) 524-6655