GT USA Wilmington (GTW) welcomed the U.S. flag m/v Liberty Power on its maiden call to the Port of Wilmington.
The m/v Liberty Power is a U.S.-flag RoRo/container vessel, new to the Liberty fleet. Built in 2011, the ship measures over 787 feet in length and 125 feet wide, with a load capacity of 220,000 square feet of High & Heavy cargo or ~1,000 vehicles, and 1,928 TEUs with 200 refer plugs. The m/v Liberty Power is certified to carry ammunition and is equipped for self-sustaining loading and discharging operations. The vessel called Wilmington to load over 550 pieces of military cargo, including RoRo and container units. This cargo arrived at the terminal by rail and truck, highlighting the versatility of the cargo handling capabilities at the Port.
Joe Cruise, Chief Executive Officer of GT USA Wilmington joined Captain Christopher Cruz, along with Dennis Ryan, Sr. Manager – Operations and Grace Suhovsky, Port Captain – US Mid-Atlantic Region of Liberty Global Logistics LLC (LGL), on board to welcome the vessel and present the Captain and LGL with plaques to mark the maiden call. “We are delighted to welcome the m/v Liberty Power to the Port of Wilmington. It is a privilege to continue to work with Liberty on these important projects.” said Cruise.
It’s a historic year for the Port as it celebrates its 100th year of operations at the Wilmington terminal. Port operators GT USA Wilmington have been reflecting on its history and what a remarkable journey it has been to get to where it is today, not only as North America’s #1 gateway for the import of bananas, fresh fruit and juice concentrates, but also because of the many types of cargo it is capable of expertly handling, including heavy-lift project cargo as exhibited by the military cargo loaded aboard the Liberty Power.
When the Port first opened it stood on 105 acres, it had warehouse storage of 120,000 sq. ft., a berthing area of 1,210 ft. and in its first year of operations it handled 17,000 tons of cargo. Today the Port stretches over 308 acres, has warehouse storage of over 1 million sq.ft., a berthing area of 4500 sq.ft., and annually handles over 6 million tons of cargo. Along the way it has become a major port of entry and distribution center for the seasonal importation of fresh fruits from South America Central America and North Africa, along with other fruits and juices from around the globe. Cargo is stored in the Port’s 850,000 square foot on-dock refrigerated warehouse complex, one of North America’s largest facilities, before distribution to markets throughout the United States and Canada. The Port is Safe Quality Food (SQF) certified and has worked hard to put itself in a good position to service the fresh produce trade and take advantage of new business from all over the world.
