| Fact file |
When built: Launched 2003
Length: 323m
Width: 43m
Weight: 100,000 tons
Power: 93,120 bhp
Max speed: 25 knots
Number of containers: 4,000 measuring 12m each
Capacity: Consumes 10 tons of fuel per hour |
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Since the first ship was constructed more than 10,000 years ago, water-borne transportation has been a mainstay of trade around the world.
Despite advances in air-travel and communications, shipping remains one of the most essential gears in the global economy.
The bulk of the world’s dry cargo is transported via container ships – their cargo being loaded in 12m long, 4m high steel containers. The containers are specifically designed to be craned straight on and off the ship and onto the back of trains or trucks for quick and easy distribution.
Built to carry upwards of 4,000 containers, container ships easily take the title of the largest vehicles ever built. Operated by a crew of just 19 people, the biggest of them all is the OOCL Shenzhen from Hong Kong, whose propeller alone weighs 85 tons.
At 323m long, it’s only a metre shorter than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Weighing in at 100,000 tons, the Shenzhen’s engine is 1,000 times more powerful than the average family car, yet its propeller turns at a sedate 200 rpm – or 20 to 30 times slower than a car engine. It manages a top speed of 25 knots fully laden.
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