Press Release -  11.5.04

M/V HUAL Durban Calls Wilmington 
on Her Maiden Voyage

Wilmington, DE - Diamond State Port Corporation (DSPC), HUAL North America, Inc. and maritime community representatives will welcome the M/V HUAL Durban on Thursday, November 5, on her maiden voyage to the Port of Wilmington, Delaware. The M/V HUAL Durban is a recent addition to HUAL’s unique fleet of Ro/Ro - PCTC (Pure Car & Truck Carrier) vessels which can carry virtually anything on wheels up to 5 meters in height and 150 metric tons in weight.

At a cost of approximately $60 million per vessel, the M/V HUAL Durban is one of 14 planned additions to HUAL’s fleet through 2007. “The addition of M/V HUAL Durban to our fleet will enhance the first class service that we provide to our customers, and will facilitate the growth of auto and RoRo exports via the Port of Wilmington to the Middle-East and other destinations,” said Roy Winograd, vice president, marketing, HUAL North America, Inc.

The arrival of the M/V HUAL Durban in Wilmington, the Mid-Atlantic export facility for General Motors, highlights a 30-year relationship between the Port of Wilmington and HUAL. “Wilmington’s skilled workforce, excellent transportation infrastructure, and its dedicated berth on the Delaware River which is connected by exclusive roadway to vehicle staging and processing facilities offer a complete logistics package to automotive industry leaders such as GM and their car carrier HUAL,” noted DSPC Executive Director Gene Bailey.

In 2003, HUAL made 40 port calls to Wilmington loading more than 60,000 vehicles bound to the Middle East. On her maiden voyage to Wilmington, she will load new GM vehicles, high and heavy rolling cargoes, as well as used POV’s destined to Aqaba, Jeddah, Dammam and Kuwait.

Built by the Toyohashi Shipbuikding Co., LTD. shipyard at Toyohashi, Japan, the M/V HUAL Durban features unique multiple liftable decks for flexibility in loading cargoes of varying heights as well as a minimum deck height of 1.85 meters for increased cargo carrying capacity. Flying the Panamanian flag and capable of cruising at a speed of 20 knots, the ship is nearly 200 meters long, 32.62 meters wide and can carry up to 6,400 standard size cars. 

Founded in 1923, the Port of Wilmington is an important asset for the local and regional economy, generating more than 5,800 jobs and contributing over $18 million in annual tax revenues to state and local government.  The Port is owned and operated by the Diamond State Port Corporation, a corporation of the State of Delaware. 

For further information, and digital photos please contact: Vered Nohi-Becker, Marketing Services Manager at the Port of Wilmington
@ (302) 472-7819, e-mail: vnbecker@port.state.de.us