January 16th 2003
The Board of the Port of Waterford Company
has formally welcomed the new 'Maersk Waterford'
vessel to the port. The new purpose built
vessel was officially launched on Monday
last to serve the Rotterdam to Waterford
route. The Vessel was commissioned for the
continental route by Norfolkline, a subsidiary
of the giant AP Moller Group.
Commenting after the launch of the new
container vessel in Waterford Ben Gavin,
Chairman of the Port of Waterford said
that he welcomed this development and
acknowledged the commitment shown to their
customers by Norfolkline management and
staff based in both Waterford and Rotterdam.
'This new container ship hails a new era
in the development of the container business
in Waterford and brings us even closer
to the demanding continental market. As
the nearest Irish port to the continent
and improving access such as the recently
announced city by-pass the Port of Waterford
is ideally placed to meet the needs of
those engaged in importing and exporting.'
'This is a significant day for the Port
of Waterford, we are delighted to work
closely with Norfolkline and applaud the
investment and commitments recently made
and planned. It is pleasing to see a company
of the calibre of Norfolkline increasing
its presence in the Irish market via the
Port Of Waterford. Ongoing investment
decisions made by the Board of the Port
of Waterford such as the recent €6m
investment in a Liebherr crane and a partnership
approach at the Belview terminal were
undoubtedly instrumental in Norfolkline's
decision to operate the vessel out of
Waterford. The Board, management and staff
of the port remain committed to supporting
Norfolkline, their customers and other
port users in their endeavours to grow
and respond to changing markets.'
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