The world’s largest container ship is turning up all over Europe. Standing 73 metres high and 59 metres wide, the ship ‘Oscar’ can carry no fewer than 19,224 containers. At nearly 400 metres long, the ship is impossible to miss. At every port the Oscar calls at, crowds of onlookers flock to catch a glimpse of this colossus.
Biggest ship for just 53 days
Last week, the ship sailed into Rotterdam to a festive welcome. A strange sensation because earlier this year, the CSCL Globe was also given a festive welcome when it entered Rotterdam. Why? Back then, it was the largest ship in the world, with a capacity of 19,000 containers. The ship held this title for only 53 days.
It is typical of the race going on for container ships. In 2006, the Danish container ship Maersk Line was still the largest ship in the world. At the time, it could carry 'only' 13,500 containers. That seems very little now, whereas 30 years ago it was unthinkable for a ship to carry more than 5,000 containers.
Port development
The constant development of container ships is forcing ports to keep evolving. The harbour must be deep enough, the quay long enough and the cranes must be capable of handling the large ships. Often, that capacity is still available. A bigger problem is the storage of containers. Ports in both Europe and Asia are struggling to unload container ships because the stacking areas are too full. Currently, in Rotterdam, a container spends an average of four days in the port before it is collected. The aim is to reduce this time, but this responsibility lies primarily with rail or inland waterway transport.
It also looks like the Oscar will soon have to relinquish its title. Indeed, the Japanese company MOL wants to commission ships that can carry more 20,000 containers.
When will the ceiling be reached?
All the developments do make us wonder when container ships - and therefore ports - will reach their maximum capacity. Will a ship be able to carry 40,000 containers in 10 years' time?
Editorial LogistiekProfs
Image: BBC News
