World’s Largest Container Ship Debuts in Copenhagen

By: | September 30th, 2013

Triple E, the world’s largest ship, is 400 meters long, 59 meters wide, 73 meters high and has a capacity of 18,000 twenty-foot containers. Although it’s about a quarter of a mile long and is as tall as a 20-story building, it only takes 22 people to operate the Triple E. It is not just an accomplishment in size but, with notably reduced emissions, it’s also  environmentally conscious.

While the ship has been intentionally designed to travel at lower speeds, the design of the hull and engine mean that CO2 emissions are halved. The engine uses exhaust gas that produces “extra energy,” which propels the Triple E on its voyages.

“These vessels reduce CO2 emissions by 50% per container moved, compared to industry average on the Asia-Europe trade,” explains the ship’s official website. “The unique hull design, energy-efficient engine and system that uses exhaust gas to produce extra energy to help propel the ship make the Triple-E unmatched in energy efficiency.”

The ship sets new records in economy of scale, carrying a staggering amount of freight but not requiring an extra engine, as is usually expected. A number of ships have been manufactured and have recently sailed successfully across the Great Belt from Denmark to Gdansk, Poland.

The Danish corporation Maersk, which specializes in line shipping containers, is behind the manufacturing. The ship was officially unveiled in Copenhagen in September and over 42,000 people have already purchased tickets to take a tour of the ship.

Jonathan Keane

Irish journalist writing on business, tech and engineering.

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