One of the world's largest cargo ships docks at a U.S. port for first time

The largest container ship that has ever called at a seaport within North America,  the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin,  recently called at the Port of Los Angeles.

The container ship can handle approximately 18,000 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) or 20-foot containers. This means the Benjamin Franklin can carry approximately one third more cargo than any other vessel in North America.

The Port of Los Angeles is the first U.S. port of call for the Benjamin Franklin, which the CMA CGM chose to name after one of the Founding Fathers of the U.S.

The Benjamin Franklin signals that container ships, which are the main way the U.S. transports containerized trade, are creating a new age of international trade for the U.S. It also signals what the U.S. needs to be a participant in the global economy.

Current trade activity entering and exiting U.S. ports generates 23 million jobs and over $321 billion from tax revenues. International trade within U.S. seaports has been valued at over $4.6 trillion, making up an estimated one-fourth of the U.S. economy.

With these figures in mind, it is vital that the U.S. maintain its infrastructure and continue to modernize its freight transportation network. This will keep the U.S. economy in league with the worldwide economy.