Emma Maersk, currently the largst container ship.

Maersk may be on the verge of ordering up to 20 of the largest container ships ever built,  18,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units).  The largest container ships now in service are capable of carrying roughly 15,000 containers.   Analysts have identified 18,000 TEU ships as the largest container ships able to pass through the Straits of Malacca, where a 20 – 25 meter draft is the limiting factor.  On the bulk side of the industry,  Malaccamax tankers, in common parlance often referred to as “super-tankers, are the Very Large Crude Carriers, VLCCs.  VLCCs are the work horses of the oil industry.  It will be interesting to see whether or not the proposed Maersk 18,000 TEU ships will fill the same role in the long haul container trades.

Maersk Reported Close to 18,000-TEU Ship Order

Maersk Line is close to placing an order for up to 20 container ships that would each be able to transport 18,000 20-foot ocean containers, breaking through industry standards for carrying capacity. .

The Danish carrier is negotiations with South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding on a contract that would be worth up to $2 billion, the Korea Economic Daily reported.

The newspaper, citing unidentified industry officials, said the deal would include firm orders for 10 of the new mega-ships and options for 10 more.

The largest container ships in use today have a capacity of just under 15,000 TEUs and were first ordered by Maersk. Industry analysts say the huge vessels are rapidly displacing smaller ships as carriers seek greater operating efficiencies and vessel design and engineering advances to meet those goals.

Maersk, the world’s biggest ocean carrier, and the South Korean yard, have declined to comment on the report.