Over the weekend, the Port of Los Angeles welcomed the largest ship that's ever docked in North America, a 1,300-foot-long beast officially named the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin. Longer than three football fields, NBC4 reports, the ship (part of the French shipping line CMA-CGM) is about a third larger than the biggest ships that usually come into the port. The fact that San Pedro was chosen as the Benjamin Franklin's first stop is significant because it "sends a powerful message that our port stands among the world's greatest," according to Mayor Eric Garcetti (quoted in the port's press release). Just how big is this ship? We've got a few different views and a video to help answer that.
This ship holds enough cargo to fill 235 Olympic pools. #BenjaminFranklinVisitsLA pic.twitter.com/SVgSBQX5BZ
— LA Mayor's Office (@LAMayorsOffice) December 26, 2015
View a time lapse video of the arrival of the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin. #BenjaminFranklinVisitsLA #PortofLA pic.twitter.com/IVmHffqsIu
— Port of Los Angeles (@PortofLA) December 28, 2015
#BenjaminFranklinVisitsLA pic.twitter.com/eh1jQNQpea
— Longie (@DaLeftHook) December 28, 2015
Lined up, all of the refrigerated containers aboard @cmacgm #BenjaminFranklin would equal the distance between #SantaMonica & #SantaBarbara.
— Port of Los Angeles (@PortofLA) December 27, 2015
Largest cargo ship to dock in North America arrives Saturday. Here is how you can see it.https://t.co/i5lXiGTS0l pic.twitter.com/Ow31Np2QN3
— Chris Ledermuller (@Ledermuller) December 25, 2015
Megaship is longer than Empire State Building and wider than Olympic-size swimming pool. #BenjaminFranklinVisitsLA pic.twitter.com/vyc67S2P2m
— Port of Los Angeles (@PortofLA) December 26, 2015
Seven container cranes will be used to unload this massive cargo ship. #PortofLA #BenjaminFranklinVisitsLA pic.twitter.com/lLW73OgEKF
— Port of Los Angeles (@PortofLA) December 26, 2015
#benjaminfranklinvisitsla the biggest container ship to ever visit the U.S. Congress to th… https://t.co/HO2BjhfV9Y pic.twitter.com/GmUk1xPKKm
— Eric Garcetti (@ericgarcetti) December 26, 2015
The largest container ship to visit North America has arrived at the #PortofLA. #BenjaminFranklinVisitsLA #CMACGMUSA pic.twitter.com/nDGVnrINJs
— Port of Los Angeles (@PortofLA) December 26, 2015