Worlds largest container ship maiden voyage.
11th November, 2013
The 194,000 ton Majestic Maersk measures 398 metres long and 58 metres breadth, far larger than any ship regularly using the port. It has a container capacity of 18,270 TEU.
It is one of Maersk Line's new Triple-E series of vessels, which can carry 2,500 more boxes than the previous largest ships afloat.Maersk have a ship management operation here in the Isle of Man although the new vessel is registered in the Danish Port of Copenhagen.
The Majestic Maersk is the latest in a long line of vessels tagged the world's biggest to visit Felixstowe and officials at port owners Hutchison Ports UK are delighted that the terminal continues to handle the business of the biggest shipping lines and remains the main gateway into the UK for the global box trade.
Maersk has ordered 20 Triple-E vessels – Daewoo Shipping is building them at a cost believed to be £3.8billion – and they will be phased in gradually over the next couple of years on the existing route between Asia and Northern Europe.
The vessels set new standards in the container industry, not just for size, but also of energy efficiency and environmental performance – they travel at slower speeds but are designed to use maximum efficiency, emitting 50% less CO2 per container moved than the current average on the Asia-Europe route.
