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Top 10 List of World’s Largest Container Ships in 2024

Largest-Container-Ships

A container ship is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in containers. They are the common means of commercial freight transport that carries most seagoing non-bulk cargo. Container shipping transports almost 90% of worldwide non-bulk cargo; these ships have been built in increasingly larger sizes to be more economical, taking advantage of scale and reduce operational expenses. 

 

The capacity of a container ship is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU); this unit of measure is based on the dimensions of a standard container (ISO standard containers – height 8.5 feet, width 8 feet, and length 20 feet which represents an approximate volume of 38.5 cubic meters). High TEU capacity container ships are categorized to Very Large Container Ship (VLCS) and Ultra Large Container Ship (ULCS). The ship with a 10,000 to 20,000 TEU capacity is defined as a Very Large Container Ship (VLCS), while the ship with a capacity greater than 20,000 TEU is defined as an Ultra Large Container Ship (ULCS).

 

List of the 10 largest container ships

 

The following is a list of the ten largest container ships worldwide, ranked in order of their TEU capacity.

 

# Built Vessel Name Length overall Beam Max. 

TEU

Operator Flag
(m) (ft) (m) (ft)
1 2020 HMM Algeciras

HMM Copenhagen

HMM Dublin

HMM Gdansk

HMM Hamburg

HMM Helsinki

HMM Le Havre

399.9 1,312 61.0 200.1 23,964 HMM Panama
2 2020 HMM Oslo

HMM Rotterdam

HMM Southampton

HMM Stockholm

HMM St Petersburg

399.9 1,312 61.5 202 23,820 HMM Panama
3 2019 MSC Gülsün

MSC Samar

MSC Leni

MSC Mia

MSC Febe

399.9 1,312 61.5 202 23,756 MSC Panama
2020 MSC Ambra 399.9 1,312 61.5 202 23,756 MSC Panama
4 2019 MSC Mina

MSC Isabella

MSC Arina

MSC Nela

MSC Sixin

399.8 1,312 61.0 200.1 23,656 MSC Panama
2021 MSC Apolline 399.8 1,312 61.0 200.1 23,656 MSC Liberia
5 2020 CMA CGM Jacques Saadé

CMA CGM Champs Elysées

CMA CGM Palais Royal

CMA CGM Louvre

399.9 1,312 61.3 201 23,112 CMA CGM France
2021 CMA CGM Rivoli

CMA CGM Montmartre

CMA CGM Concorde

399.9 1,312 61.3 201 23,112 CMA CGM France
6 2017 OOCL Hong Kong

OOCL Germany

OOCL Japan

OOCL United Kingdom

OOCL Scandinavia

399.9 1,312 58.8 193 21,413 OOCL Hong Kong
2018 OOCL Indonesia 399.9 1,312 58.8 193 21,413 OOCL Hong Kong
7 2018 COSCO Shipping Universe

COSCO Shipping Nebula

COSCO Shipping Galaxy

COSCO Shipping Solar

COSCO Shipping Star

COSCO Shipping Planet

400.0 1,312.3 58.6 192 21,237 COSCO Hong Kong
8 2018 CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupéry 400.0 1,312.3 59.0 193.6 20,954 CMA CGM France
2018 CMA CGM Jean Mermoz

CMA CGM Louis Blériot

400.0 1,312.3 59.0 193.6 20,954 CMA CGM  Malta
9 2017 Madrid Maersk

Munich Maersk

Moscow Maersk

Milan Maersk

Monaco Maersk

399.0 1,309.1 58.6 192 20,568 Maersk Denmark
2018 Marseille Maersk

Manchester Maersk

Murcia Maersk

Manila Maersk

Mumbai Maersk

399.0 1,309.1 58.6 192 20,568 Maersk Denmark
2019 Maastricht Maersk 399.0 1,309.1 58.6 192 20,568 Maersk Denmark
10 2017 MOL Truth 399.0 1,309.1 58.0 190.3 20,182 ONE Panama
2018 MOL Treasure 399.0 1,309.1 58.0 190.3 20,182 ONE Panama

 

1. HMM Algeciras

 

HMM_ALGECIRAS

 

HMM Algeciras is the world’s largest container ship as of 2021; the vessel was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in South Korea.

 

Specification

HMM Algeciras is operated by HMM Co with 399.9 meters (1,312 ft.) long, 61 meters (200ft.) wide. She has a maximum capacity of 23,964 TEU and is registered in Panama.

 

Sister ships

  • HMM Copenhagen.
  • HMM Dublin.
  • HMM Gdansk.
  • HMM Hamburg.
  • HMM Helsinki.
  • HMM Le Havre.

 

2. HMM Oslo

 

HMM-Oslo

 

HMM Oslo belongs to the Algeciras class, a class of container ships consisting of 12 vessels built for HMM; the vessel was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Samsung Heavy Industries.

 

Specification

HMM Oslo is operated by HMM Co with 399.9 meters (1,312 ft.) long, 61.5 meters (202ft.) wide. She has a maximum capacity of 23,820 TEU and is registered in Panama.

 

Sister ships

  • HMM Rotterdam.
  • HMM Southampton.
  • HMM Stockholm.
  • HMM St Petersburg.

 

3. MSC Gülsün

 

MSC-Gülsün

 

MSC Gülsün was built in 2019 and was the world’s largest container ship at that time; Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea built the vessel.

 

Specification

The Mediterranean Shipping Company operates MSC Gülsün with 399.9 meters (1,312 ft.) long, 61.5 meters (202ft.) wide. She has a maximum capacity of 23,756 TEU and is registered in Panama.

 

Sister ships

  • MSC Samar.
  • MSC Leni.
  • MSC Mia.
  • MSC Febe.

 

4. MSC Mina

 

MSC-Mina

 

MSC Mina was built in 2019, the vessel was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Samsung Heavy Industries.

 

Specification

The Mediterranean Shipping Company operates MSC Mina with 399.8 meters (1,312 ft.) long, 61 meters (200ft.) wide. She has a maximum capacity of 23,656 TEU and is registered in Panama.

 

Sister ships

  • MSC Isabella.
  • MSC Arina.
  • MSC Nela.
  • MSC Sixin.
  • MSC Apolline.

 

5. CMA CGM Jacques Saadé

 

CMA-CGM-Jacques-Saade

 

CMA CGM Jacques Saadé is the first of a class of nine sister ships that were the world’s largest vessels to be powered using liquefied natural gas at construction time. China State Shipbuilding Corporation built the vessel.

 

Specification

CMA CGM operates CMA CGM Jacques Saadé with 399.9 meters (1,312 ft.) long, 61.3 meters (201ft.) wide. She has a maximum capacity of 23,112 TEU and is registered in France.

 

Sister ships

  • CMA CGM Champs Elysées.
  • CMA CGM Palais Royal.
  • CMA CGM Louvre.
  • CMA CGM Rivoli.
  • CMA CGM Montmartre.
  • CMA CGM Concorde.

 

6. OOCL Hong Kong

 

OOCL-Hong-Kong

 

OOCL Hong Kong was the largest container ship ever built at the time she was delivered in 2017. She is the lead ship of the G class, of which five other vessels were built. Samsung Heavy Industries, Geoje shipyard, built the vessel.

 

Specification

OOCL operates OOCL Hong Kong with 399.9 meters (1,312 ft.) long, 58.8 meters (193 ft.) wide. She has a maximum capacity of 21,413 TEU and is registered in Hong Kong.

 

Sister ships

  • OOCL Germany.
  • OOCL Japan.
  • OOCL United Kingdom.
  • OOCL Scandinavia.
  • OOCL Indonesia.

 

7. COSCO Shipping Universe

 

COSCO-Shipping-Universe

 

COSCO Shipping Universe belongs to the Universe class, which is a series of 6 container ships built for COSCO SHIPPING Lines. Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding built the vessel in Shanghai.

 

Specification

COSCO SHIPPING Lines operate COSCO Shipping Universe with 400 meters (1,312 ft.) long, 58.6 meters (192 ft.) wide. She has a maximum capacity of 21,237 TEU and is registered in Hong Kong.

 

Sister ships

  • COSCO Shipping Nebula.
  • COSCO Shipping Galaxy.
  • COSCO Shipping Solar.
  • COSCO Shipping Star.
  • COSCO Shipping Planet.

 

8. CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupéry

 

CMA-CGM-Antoine-de-Saint-Exupery

 

CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupéry is the flagship of CMA CGM’s fleet and the largest container ship to sail under the French flag and the largest Europe-based ship. Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines built the vessel.

 

Specification

CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupéry is operated by CMA CGM with 400 meters (1,312 ft.) long, 59 meters (193 ft.) wide. She has a maximum capacity of 20,954 TEU and is registered in France.

 

Sister ships

  • CMA CGM Jean Mermoz.
  • CMA CGM Louis Blériot.

 

9. Madrid Maersk

 

Madrid-Maersk

 

Madrid Maersk is the first of eleven second-generation Maersk Triple E-class container ships. The vessel was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering shipyard.

 

Specification

Maersk Line operates Madrid Maersk with 399 meters (1,309 ft.) long, 58.6 meters (192 ft.) wide. She has a maximum capacity of 20,568 TEU and is registered in Denmark.

 

Sister ships

  • Munich Maersk.
  • Moscow Maersk.
  • Milan Maersk.
  • Monaco Maersk.
  • Marseille Maersk.
  • Manchester Maersk.
  • Murcia Maersk.
  • Manila Maersk.
  • Mumbai Maersk.
  • Maastricht Maersk.

 

10. MOL Truth

 

MOL-Truth

 

MOL Truth belongs to the Triumph class, which is a series of 6 container ships that are now operated by the Japanese shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE). Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea built the vessel.

 

Specification

MOL Truth is operated by Ocean Network Express (ONE) with 399 meters (1,309 ft.) long, 58 meters (190 ft.) wide. She has a maximum capacity of 20,182 TEU and is registered in Panama.

 

Sister ships

  • MOL Treasure.

 

 

Related Article: Top 15 Largest Container Shipping Companies in the World.

 

Images Source: Wikimedia Commons.

 

 

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