More than 90% of non-bulk cargo worldwide is transported by container, and modern container ships can carry more than 20,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). These EEE ships are gigantic, as much as 400 meters long and 60 meters wide. They have been designed to transport all types of cargo, including fragile items, safely.
The Triple E designation derives from the class's three design principles: Economy of scale, energy efficient, and environmentally improved. The EEE ships are the world's longest ships in service, and they are the most efficient container ships per twenty-foot equivalent unit of cargo.
As a class, container ships now rival crude oil tankers and bulk carriers as the largest commercial vessels on the ocean.
Container ships fall into distinct categories based on their characteristics.
Overall Sizing
In the early days of container ships, size was based on volume. Modern day ships are rated based on Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU) or the number of twenty-foot equivalent containers that can be carried by the ship. The dimensions of one TEU are equal to that of a standard twenty-foot shipping container: twenty feet long and eight feet tall. Container ships may be categorized based on length, beam, depth, and tonnage. They are also referenced by their ability to pass through shipping canals. Panamax and New Panamax are terms for the size limits for ships traveling through the Panama Canal. Suezmax and Malaccamax specify limits for ships using the Suez Canal and Strait of Malacca, respectively.Mode of Handling
Box Container Ship: Loaded only with marine containers, they are the most common type of container ship. Cargo is handled by dockside cranes that belong to the port authorities. RORO Ship: Containers are rolled on and off the ships using heavy lift vehicles and fork lift trucks. LILO Ship: Lift on / Lift off ships are equipped with cranes which are used to load and unload the containers. Range of Service Mother Ships: Often above 10,000 TEU capacity, these large ships ply only between the major container terminals of a nation. They cannot enter smaller ports due to their large draft and overall size. Feeder Vessels: Often LILO type, Feeder vessels operate between the major and minor container terminals, carrying containers to and from the mother ships.These are the top ten largest shipping container vessels currently in operation:
OOCL Hong Kong Containership
In May 2017, at Samsung Heavy Industries in Geoje, South Korea, Hong-Kong-based Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) christened the world’s largest container vessel, the OOCL Hong Kong. Only two months had passed since the MOL Triumph had earned the title of the world’s largest container ship by carrying capacity as the first ship to cross the 20,000 TEU mark. The new Ultra Large Container Vessel (ULCV), OOCL Hong Kong exceeded it with a carrying capacity of 21,413 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU).
The OOCL Hong Kong measures 399.87 meters in length and 58.8 meters in breadth, ranking it among the largest ULCVs in operation today by dimensions. OOCL at SHI ordered six identical vessels in April 2015 for a total cost of US$950 million.
The OOCL Hong Kong will be serving the Asia-Europe trade lane on the LL1 service with stops in Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Yantian, and Singapore, and via Suez Canal to Felixstowe in Suffolk, UK, Rotterdam, Gdansk, and Wilhelmshaven.
Madrid Maersk
In April 2017, container shipping major Maersk Line from Denmark took delivery of the Madrid Maersk, a 20,568 TEU box ships, from South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME). The vessel capacity exceeds that of the previous largest containership, the MOL Triumph, which has a capacity of 20,150 TEU. The Madrid Maersk measures 399 meters in length and 58.6 meters in width. Maersk Madrid belongs to the 2nd generation of the company’s Triple-E class of vessels and is the first of 11 ships ordered from DSME back in 2015. It is deployed in the company’s Asia/Europe network.
MOL Triumph
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) introduced their newest vessel, the MOL Triumph, at a ceremony at Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. in South Korea on March 15, 2017. The first of a fleet of six 20,000 TEU-class container ships, the 400-meter-long, 58.8-meter-wide MOL Triumph briefly held the record as the world's largest container ship. Junichiro Ikeda, president and CEO of MOL said, "The MOL Group is honored to unveil this new vessel, which is the largest containership in the world. The vessel is equipped with various new sustainable technologies to provide more efficient fuel consumption and improved environmental performance."
Container ships in the 20,000 TEU-class are equipped with several highly advanced energy-saving technologies, including a high-efficiency propeller and rudder, low friction underwater paint, Savor Stator as a stream fin on the hull body, and an optimized fine hull form. These features can reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per container moved by about 25-30% when compared to 14,000 TEU-class container ships.
Additionally, the vessels have been designed with the retrofit option to convert to liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled ship to comply with the International Maritime Organization's new regulation to limit NOx and SOx emissions in marine fuels, effective in 2020.
MSC OSCAR
At the time of its delivery in January 2015 the MSC Oscar, with a capacity of 19,224 TEU, was the world's biggest container ship. It is slightly larger than the previous record holder, the CSCL Globe, at 19,000 TEU. With East-West trade routes between Asia and Europe, the MSC Oscar is part of MSC's plan to reduce CO2 emissions by increasing the average vessel size, which reduces the number of ships in operation. MSC has applied Jotun's patented Sea Quantum X200 Hull Performance Solutions (HPS) on the MSC Oscar as well as 11 other existing and future vessels. The vessel realizes lower fuel costs and related carbon emission because it is equipped with antifouling technology. MSC Oscar has an overall length of 395.4m, making it one of the world's longest ships, breadth of 59m, height of 73m, draught of 16m, gross tonnage of 193,000t, and deadweight of 197,362t. It can accommodate 35 crew members. The vessel can carry 1,800 refrigerated containers (1,470 on deck and 330 in the hold). The total investment to build the vessel was $140m. The vessel's full spade rudder is equipped with a rudder bulb, and the propeller comprises five blades measuring 10.5m each. A high-performance propulsion system enables the vessel to sail at a service speed of 22.8 knots.
CSCL Globe- MV CSCL
The CSCL Globe is a container ship built by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. (HHI) for China Shipping Container Lines(CSCL). The first of a class of five ships intended for Asia-Europe trade routes for a total cost of $700 million. It was the largest container ship in the world at the time of launch in November 2014, with a maximum capacity of 19,100 TEU containers. The CSCL Globe measures 400.0m in length, 58.6m in width and 30.5m in depth. The electronically controlled main engine (77,200bhp) of the CSCL Globe enhances fuel efficiency by monitoring fuel consumption according to sea conditions and the ship’s speed. The system results in a 20 percent reduction in fuel per TEU in comparison with similar 10,000 TEU container ships. The CSCL Globe employs two EcoBallast seawater treatment systems that filter and sterilize bacteria and plankton at a rate of 3,000m3 of seawater per hour.
Barzan (UASC)
Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Mokpo, South Korea in 2015, Barzan is an ultra-large container ship and among the largest in the world (as of July 2015). It is one of six 18,800 TEU container ships built in South Korea for United Arab Shipping Company (UASC). Barzan has a deadweight of 199,744 tons, and gross tonnage of 195,636.
Classed under the international accredited registrar and classification society DNV GL as the first ship ever to have "Gas Ready" class notation, Barzan has the lowest per container level of carbon emissions. Its Energy Efficiency Design Index is almost 50% less than the International Maritime Organization limit set for 2025. According to the builder, it has carbon emissions far lower than the Maersk EEE class container ships.
Manned by a multinational crew, Barzan was placed on the UASC service route of Asia/Europe container service in August 2015. The route takes her to the ports of Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, and Yantian in China, Port Kelang, and Singapore in South East Asia, and four North European ports.
Magleby Maersk
Built at the shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Magleby Maersk is one of the largest container ships in the world. A Triple E-Class vessel, it is owned and managed by the Danish ship owner AP Moller Maersk, the largest operation of container shipping in the world. Magleby Maersk has a capacity of 18,270 TEU. The Magleby Maersk has a length of 398m (1,306ft.), molded beam of 59m (194ft.), depth of 33 m (108ft.), height of 73m (240ft.) and maximum summer draft of 16m (52ft.). The gross tonnage of the container carrier is 194,849GT, and the deadweight is 194,417DWT. The Magleby Maersk has two long-stroke and low-revolution main engines MAN B&W 8S80ME-C 9.2, each with 39,785hp. The vessel is driven by two 4-blades fixed-pitch propellers and reaches a maximum speed over 22.0 knots (41km/h).
MSC New York
MSC New York is a container ship built in 2014 is registered and currently sailing under the flag of Panama. Built by STX Offshore & SB.MSC New York, the MSC New York is 399m long, has a beam of 54m, and a maximum draught of 29.9m. She has a capacity of 18270 TEU and a gross tonnage of 176490 tons. With headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC is one of the world’s leading container shipping lines. It operates 480 offices in 150 countries worldwide with over 24,000 employees. MSC’s shipping line sails on more than 200 trade routes, calling at over 315 ports.
Madison Maersk
One of the largest container vessels in the world, Madison Maersk was built in 2014 by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in South Korea. The ship is a Maersk Triple E. It boasts improved architecture and a more powerful propulsion system, allowing it to achieve better dynamic characteristics and lower fuel consumption. The ship has a capacity of 18,270 TEU and is equipped with 1800 reefer plugs. The ship is 400 meters long and 59 meters wide—too wide to traverse the Panama Canal, but not too wide for the Suez Canal. Its dual 32-megawatt (43,000hp.) ultra-long stroke two-stroke diesel engines drive two propellers at a design speed of 19 knots. This class is, by design, slower than its predecessors, using a strategy known as slow steaming expected to lower fuel consumption by 37% and carbon dioxide emissions per container by 50%. Maersk won a "Sustainable Ship Operator of the Year" award in July 2011 for the Triple E design. Madison Maersk services routes between Europe and Asia. European-Asian trade represents the company's largest market; it already has 100 ships serving this route, and Maersk expects Chinese exports to continue to grow.
CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin
CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, an Explorer-class container ship, was delivered to CMA CGM in November 2015. Named after United States Founding Father, the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin can carry up to 18,000 containers, including 1,500 reefer containers. All containers placed in a line would equal the distance between Santa Monica and Santa Barbara. Its maximum load capacity represents the volume of 235 Olympic pools—almost 590,000 cubic meters. At a length of 1,300ft. and width of 177ft., the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin is longer than the Empire State Building and wider than an American football field. The vessel is 197ft. high, and her highest antenna peaks at 230ft. The CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin made her first call at the Port of Los Angeles on December 26, 2015. She was the largest vessel ever to reach a U.S. coast at that time. The gigantic vessel is also a model for high-energy production. Operated by a crew of 26, the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin produces 14MWatts of electrical energy—enough to support a city of 16,000 inhabitants.
