The biggest ever container ship is due to set sail on the waters in June this year. Rumoured to be taller than the 2012 Olympic Stadium and 400 metres long, it will be the largest vessel on the seas.
Named the Triple E, the new model of container ship will have holding capacity of 18,000 20 foot containers. Inside these 18,000 containers you could fit 863 million cans of baked beans, or 36,000 cars.
Currently, the largest container ship holds the equivalent of 12,500 20 foot containers. This is an increase in capacity of almost 50%. There are already discussions of an ever bigger vessel holding up to 30,000 containers.
The new Triple E ships are intended to run ocean freight services between Asia and Europe.
So what does this mean for the freight forwarding industry?
Bigger container ships are said to be more eco-friendly. Not only is technology becoming more advanced on these large container ships, but by carrying more cargo, the fuel footprint per tonne of cargo is reducing.
However, larger container ships bring their own problems, as ports are expected to either adapt to receive these bigger vessels, or the ships will call at other ports instead.
The Port of Felixstowe handles almost half of the UK’s container trade and has plans to increase its capacities by constructing a third rail terminal due to open later this year.
If you’re looking for a freight forwarder to handle your import or export sea freight, call us today – Tel. 02392 756 575. Email: sales@mercatorcargo.co.uk.
