Photo: Dr. Theo Notteboom, 2009.
(Google Earth Placemark)

'E' Class Containership, The Evelyn Maersk

Launched in 2006, the Emma Maersk is part of the largest class ('E') of containership built to date (ships of the Triple class are expected to enter service in 2013). The vessels in this class have 397 meters in length, a width of 56 meters and a deadweight of 156,907 tons. For this impressive size only a crew of 13 is required. Depending on the load configuration, its capacity is in the range of 12,000 to 13,500 TEU, which can be accommodated in rows of 22 containers wide. A problem related to this class of containership concerns its draft of 17.5 meters (57 feet), limiting the number of port terminals it can call to. It is well above the current specifications of the Panama Canal, placing this ship in the Post Panamax category.

The above photo depicts the Evelyn Maersk at the APM terminal in the port of Algeciras, Spain. Handling a Post Panamax containership requires about 150 moves per hour, which transcribes in using five cranes able to handle 30 moves per hour each.