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
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In August of this year, ex-President Jimmy Carter traveled to North Korea on a
In my grumpier moments, I object to celebrating Disneyfied pirates, especially given that piracy is, after all, still a serious problem and not merely a quaint relic of the 16th and 17th centuries. Then again, I can’t be grumpy all the time. 
Today is celebrated as a day of Thanksgiving in the United States. At the Old Salt Blog we would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to all our readers and contributors, who make putting together the blog such fun. We do appreciate it.
