Container ships are critical players in commercial intermodal freight transport, and thus in the maritime industry. Currently, these types of ships transport nearly 90% of non-bulk cargo around the world. These ships have been built in increasingly larger sizes to be more cost-effective, taking advantage of economies of scale and lowering operational costs.

So, let's get to know them a little better. The following are the ten largest container ships still in service, as measured in TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit).

Table of Contents:

No.10  Madrid Maersk - 20,568 TEUs

Madrid Maersk, the first of eleven second-generation Maersk Triple E-class container ships, was built in 2017 in South Korea. With a deadweight Tonnage of 192,672MT, it measures 399 meters (1,309 ft.)in length and 58.8 meters(192 ft.) in breadth.

Specification:

Sister Ships:

·Munich Maersk     ·Moscow Maersk

·Milan Maersk        ·Monaco Maersk

·Marseille Maersk   ·Manchester Maersk

·Murcia Maersk       ·Manila Maersk

·Mumbai Maersk    ·Maastricht Maersk

See where Madrid Maersk is right now.

No.9  CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupéry - 20,954 TEU

Named after the French author and aviator Antoine De Saint Exupery, this ship is 400 metres long and 59 metres wide with 20,954 TEU, making it the largest container ship to sail under the French flag. It was launched in 2017 and entered into service in February 2018 to serve in the French Asia Line 1 (FAL-1), the longest sea route connecting Asia to Northern Europe.

Specification:

Sister Ships:

·CMA CGM Jean Mermoz

·CMA CGM Louis Blériot

See where CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupery is right now.

No.8 COSCO Shipping Universe - 21, 237 TEU

With a carrying capacity of 21,237 TEU, this behemoth is China's largest cargo ship, built in 2018. It measures 400 meters in length and 58.6 meters in width. With a deadweight of 199,000 MT, the ship has become a flagship vessel of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which links China’s coast to Europe and Africa.

Specification:

Sister Ships:

·COSCO Shipping Nebula

·COSCO Shipping Galaxy

·COSCO Shipping Solar

·COSCO Shipping Star

·COSCO Shipping Planet

See where COSCO Shipping Universe is right now.

No.7 OOCL Hong Kong - 21,413 TEU

The OOCL Hong Kong is the largest container ship ever built, with a length of 399.87 metres, a breadth of 58.8 metres and a depth of 32.5 metres. In 2017 &2018, this ship were named the world's biggest container ship ever to cross the 21,000 TEU mark.

Specification:

Sister Ships:

·OOCL Germany

·OOCL Japan

·OOCL United Kingdom

·OOCL Scandinavia

·OOCL Indonesia

See where OOCL HongKong is right now.

No.6 CMA CGM Jacques Saadé - 23,112 TEU

Jacques Saadé of CMA CGM is one of the world's largest containerships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). The vessel is 400 meters long, with a 61-meter beam and a height of 78 meters, and has a capacity of over 23,000 TEU. It was built in 2020 by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation.

Specification:

Sister Ships:

·CMA CGM Champs Elysées  ·CMA CGM Palais Royal   

·CMA CGM Louvre                 ·CMA CGM Rivoli        

·CMA CGM Montmartre        ·CMA CGM Concorde    

·CMA CGM Trocadero            ·CMA CGM Sorbonne

See where CMA CGM Jacques Saadé is right now.

No.5 MSC Mina - 23,656 TEU

MSC Mina is a Mediterranean Shipping Company container ship with a capacity of 23,656 TEU, which also belongs to Gulsun class of container ships. The ship, which was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, is around 400 meters long and 61 meters wide.

Specification:

Sister Ships:

·MSC Mina      ·MSC Isabella

·MSC Arina      ·MSC Nela

·MSC Sixin       ·MSC Apolline

·MSC Amelia    ·MSC Diletta

·MSC Michelle

See where MSC Mina is right now.

No.4 MSC Gülsün - 23,756 TEU

MSC Gülsün at the time of her launch in 2019 was the world's largest container ship. Built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea, she is almost 62 metres wide and 400 metres long. 

It is the first vessel of its kind to be capable of transporting 24 containers across the width of its hull.

Specification:

Sister Ships:

·MSC Samar

·MSC Leni

·MSC Mia

·MSC Febe

·MSC Ambra

See where MSC Gülsün  is right now.

No.3 HMM Oslo - 23,820 TEU

HMM Oslo is the sistership of the world’s largest container ship HMM Algeciras and HMM Copenhagen. Constructed by Samsung Heavy Industries, HMM Oslo and its sister ships made their maiden voyage in 2020.

This Panama Flagged Vessel is 400 meters long and 61.50 meters wide with a maximum draft of 16.50m.

Specification:

Sister Ships:

·HMM Rotterdam 

·HMM Southampton

·HMM Stockholm

·HMM St Petersburg

See where HMM Oslo is right now.

No.2 HMM Algeciras - 23,964 TEU

HMM Algeciras was the world’s largest containership in 2020. It is one of twelve 24000 TEU Class vessels eco-friendly container vessels.

It is regarded as one of the world's most technologically advanced container ships. The Panama-flagged vessel measures 399.9 meters in length and has a depth of 33.2 meters. It has only 208 TEU more capacity than MSC Gülsün.

Specification:

Sister Ships:

·HMM Copenhagen

·HMM Dublin

·HMM Gdansk

·HMM Hamburg

·HMM Helsinki

·HMM Le Havre

See where HMM Algeciras is right now.

No.1 Evergreen Ever Ace - 23,992 TEU

The Evergreen A class is a series of 12 container ships being built for Evergreen Marine. The largest ships have a maximal theoretical capacity of around 23,992 TEU and are the largest container ships in the world. It measures 399.9 meters in length and 61.5 meters in width. 6 ships are being built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea. Another 6 will be built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) at two shipyards in China.

Specification:

Sister Ships:

·Ever Act

See where Evergreen Ever Ace is right now.