VIDEO: Largest container ship to ever visit U.S. arrives in Bay Area
The 1,300-foot-long CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin was set to leave around 1:15 p.m. after docking at the port on New Year's Eve.
The megaship made its maiden voyage from Asia, bringing beverages, furniture, glassware, plastics, electronics and steel products from China.
READ MORE: Megaship arrives at Port of Los Angeles
It stopped at Los Angeles first before arriving in Oakland, and will export agricultural products and other items back to Asia, port officials said.
CMA CGM, based in Marseilles, France, expects the Benjamin Franklin to return to Oakland regularly, hauling cargo between China, South Korea and the West Coast.
The Port of Oakland spent millions of dollars over multiple years to prepare for the arrival of megaships like the Benjamin Franklin by dredging port channels to 50 feet, raising cranes and modernizing terminals.
A quarter mile long, the Benjamin Franklin has to move slowly. Barely clears the tops of the Port's tallest cranes. pic.twitter.com/bLAR3aRkL6
— Jonathan Bloom (@BloomTV) December 31, 2015
At the Port of Oakland, the sun is setting over the Benjamin Franklin, the largest container ship to visit the U.S. pic.twitter.com/nH8k8v7b5h
— Jonathan Bloom (@BloomTV) January 1, 2016
The Benjamin Franklin is pulling into the Port of Oakland -- largest container ship to call on an American port. pic.twitter.com/wz2c7pQn1r
— Jonathan Bloom (@BloomTV) December 31, 2015
