MSC’s New Container Ship Makes Inaugural Call at Iquique Port in Chile

The ITI port terminal (Iquique Terminal Internacional) in northern Chile this week received the inaugural call of the MSC Pisa on its first commercial voyage. The vessel, delivered in December 2025 by China’s New Times Shipyard (NTS), berthed at Berth 4 as part of MSC’s weekly Alpaca service, which links Asian ports with the west coast of South America, including Chile and Peru.

The MSC Pisa is the fifth vessel in a series of ten sister ships ordered by MSC. Designed to optimize container transport on trans-Pacific routes, the ship has a capacity of 11,400 TEUs and measures 335 meters in length and 46 meters in beam. It has a deadweight tonnage of 131,000 tonnes and a maximum draft of 15.5 meters.

The vessel sails under the Liberian flag and is powered by MAN B&W engines with an output of 25,000 kW, allowing it to operate at cruising speeds of close to 20 knots.

During its stay in Iquique, scheduled to be completed on Friday (30), the terminal is expected to handle around 2,500 container moves. The Port of Iquique plays a key logistical role in trade between Mercosur and Asia and is one of the main Pacific gateways used by exporters from neighboring countries.

Fleet renewal on the Alpaca service has become an increasingly visible trend. MSC has been deploying next-generation vessels on the route to meet rising demand and improve energy efficiency. As part of this modernization cycle, the Chilean port of San Antonio soon awaits the arrival of MSC Serena, another unit recently-developed in Switzerland.

Source: Portal Portuario

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