. >> reporter: this is the c macgn benjamin franklin and this is a boeking 747, or the u.s. s george hw bush. it is this meg that ship's maiden invoiceage. oakland has dredged to adapt the 50 feet to accommodate the ships and raised the height of eight of its cranes. what port officials herald as the biggest cargo ship to visit the u.s. will ship between asia and europe. they dock regularly in area ports, but in the u.s. they are just starting to make upgrades. >> the federal government needs to develop a comprehensive international freight strategy. the rival of these very large-- arrival of these very large ships are the stimulus to get their act together. >> reporter: oaklands and l.a. may have welcomed this ship this time, but it doesn't mean that either port can handle many more such calls. still, proponents say these ships carry more cargo per trip >> it is a considerable challenge and it puts stress on short distances where often they put on real cars to be sent out, or they're sent to facilities where the goods are repackaged for onward movement. >> reporter: even at

ready for these ships but capable of handling them efficiently >> reporter: this is the c macgn benjamin franklinand this is a bowing 747. the u.s. s george hw bush. it is this mega ship's maiden voyage. this port is one of the few in the country that can handle something this size. it has been dredged to receive these shifts and raised the height of eight of its cranes. it will mostly shuttle containers between asia and europe. the u.s. is behind the times with shipping. while mega ships dock regularly in asian and have for a few years, the u.s. is just making updates to allow them in. >> the federal government needs to develop a comprehensive international freight strategy. the rival of these very large vessels is a stimulus to have these particularly infrastructure get their act together. >> reporter: oakland and l.a. may have welcomed the benjamin franklin this time, but that doesn't mean the port can handle many more such calls. still proponents of mega ships say fuel carrying more cargo-- save fuel and it means less pollution >> it puts less stress on the faults that take the cargo from the