Danish container ship company Maersk, the world’s biggest container line,
said it had signed a contract with Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Company Ltd. [DSME]
to buy 10 Triple-E vessels, the biggest ships ever built, with an option for 20 more.
She will carry 18,000 containers (9 high and 23 containers across the deck). The first ten are scheduled for delivery between 2013 and 2015.
DSME said the initial order is worth 2 trillion won (US$1.9 billion) for first ten ships
and therefore a contract value of USD 5.7 billion should the option for a further 20 be exercised.
The vessels will be "the largest vessel of any type known to be in operation" at 400 meters (1312 feet) long, 59 metres (193.5 feet) wide, 73 meters (239.4 feet) high, 16.0 meters (52.5 feet) summar draft and 165,000 metric tons deadweight. Each is able to carry 18,000 containers with 600 reefer plugs, 2,500 more than the next largest operational ship. The top speed was capped at 23 knots, two knots lower than Emma Mærsk's top speed. The Triple-E's two propellers are 9.8 m (32.1 feet) in diameter with 4 blades each, compared to Emma's single propeller, which is 9.6 metres (31.5 feet) in diameter with 6 blades. The ship's two MAN Diesel engines will each deliver 43,000 hp and fuel comsumption will be 168 grams bunker oil per kilowatt hour produced . Although it is possible to operate the giant with a crew of 13, in normal operation, the vessel have a crew of 19 seafarers. If needed, it can accommodate 34 persons in total.
The company said that Triple-E designation stood for the three purposes behind the creation of the ships — Economy of scale, Energy efficiency and Environmental improvements. It claims the ships will emit half as much carbon dioxide as the average ship travelling the Asia to Europe trade route. The new ships will surpass the world's record in terms of the size, fuel efficiency and CO2 emmissions held by the Emma Maersk class vessels. Due to their size, the Triple-Es will solely be used for the Asia to Europe trade route, as only a handful of ports in the world are large enough to accommodate them.