Gaze upon an ocean and you'll see breaking waves and soaring seabirds. You might also catch sight of cargo container ships plying the seas. Container ships form a backbone of the global economy, allowing companies to ship huge quantities of goods vast distances at relatively affordable rates.
Globalization has driven the growth of the shipping industry and also the size of cargo ships. Cargo ships are typically measured by Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), or the number of standardized 20-foot cargo containers that a ship can carry.
Data published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development show that in 1977, the largest container ships hauled approximately 3,100 TEUs. By 1990, the biggest ships carried roughly 4,800 TEUs and by 2006, capacity topped 15,500 TEUs.
In 2013, the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller entered service as the largest container ship in the world at the time. A so-called Triple-E ship, the Maersk and its brethren promised to deliver Economies of scale, Environmental impact improvement and increased Energy efficiency. Measuring 1,309 feet long and 193 feet wide, the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller offers 18,270 TEU capacity.
Despite the Triple-E ships' massive size and capacity, they've been outdone by Evergreen A-class container ships, which began entering service this past summer. These behemoths measure 1,312 feet long and 202 feet wide, and feature a TEU capacity of up to 23,992.
To put the size of these ultra-large container ships into perspective, American Nimitz aircraft carriers, among the largest warships ever constructed, measure 1,092 feet long. As such, the biggest container ships are nearly a football field longer. Meanwhile, the infamous Titanic stretched a relatively puny 883 feet.
Ultra-large container ships are primarily used for trade between Europe and Asia. In fact, many are too big to dock at many American ports and can't fit through the Panama Canal.
