Malta Freeport Terminals handled a record 3.31 million containers in 2018, the company said in a statement on Monday. 

More than 2,200 vessels called at the Freeport over the past 12 months, the company said in a statement. 

This week alone, the Freeport shifted over 8,000 containers on a single ship, with five tall cranes deployed on the 398-metre-long APL Changi, which was built in 2013 by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries and carries more than 17,000 containers, to enable workers to perform the feat.

Malta Freeport Terminals CEO Alex Montebello said: “2018 was another exciting year for Malta Freeport, breaking records once again in terms of throughput despite the fact we are operating at elevated capacity in a difficult and highly competitive environment.

“This is thanks to the investment we have made and dedication from our committed personnel – without whom the progress we’ve registered would not have been possible – but we are all determined to take the Freeport to the next level and enhance its reputation as one of the region’s go-to transshipment hubs.”