Queen of the Ocean

Perhaps it is only fitting that the largest shipper in the world lays claim to the largest ship in the world – the Emma Maersk. With twice the overall fleet capacity of its nearest rival, Demark-based Maersk Line is in a league of its own

On her initial journey from China to Europe, hauling 45,000 tonnes of Christmas goods, the Emma Maersk was worthy of much attention. Often hailed by other ships that passed, the vessel’s master, Henrik Solmer remembers it vividly. “They said, ‘Hey, we heard about you and it is nice to see you coming. You are beautiful and it is a good speed that you are doing.”

Costing US$145 million to construct, the massive Emma Maersk stretches the length of four football fields and is wider than the Panama Canal. She maintains speeds up to 25 knots, while her capacity is estimated to be nearly 14,000 TEU, far and away the largest in the industry. According to calculation from IMO the ship can carry between 13,500 and 15,800 TEUs, which is 4,000 containers more than the previous leader in this class – Xin Shanghai. However, the company lists official capacity at a little over 11,000, as Maersk Line has a long history of under-reporting these figures for all its vessels. In the world of Maersk, underreporting only reinforces your reputation.

Responsible for more container traffic in the seas than anyone, Maersk is expanding the economies of scale in shipping, a key driver of trade globalisation. Ultimately, larger ships should lower shipping costs and prove more efficient in terms of emissions and manpower. Consider that as large as the Emma Maersk is, she only needs a crew of 13 to operate.

According to the Financial Times, “it often now costs more to ship a container by road 100 kilometres from a port to its final destination than it does to move the container by sea from China to Europe.”

Figure that with the Emma Maersk, it costs only US$10 to transport a bicycle from Asia to Europe, a washing machine is US$18, a T-shirt US$0.22 and a pair of jeans US$0.73.

Emma is powered by the world’s largest diesel engine, a 2,300 ton behemoth belting out roughly 109,000 horsepower. At five stories tall and 30 metres long, the turbocharged two-stroke Wartsila-Sulzer diesel engine looks like a modern day industrial plant – the crankshaft alone weighs 300 tons. At her most efficient, she consumes 1,660 gallons of diesel an hour and is capable of propelling the 170,000 tonne Emma Maersk to a brisk 25 knots.

The Aioi Works of Japan’s Diesel United takes the credit for producing Emma’s thrust, and is quick to remind everyone how green-friendly their mammoth motor is. One innovative feature is recycling the exhaust back into the engine for reuse. The benefits of this include increasing efficiency by as much as 12 per cent, while also reducing engine emissions.

Maersk Line too is quick to reaffirm Emma as “one of the most environmentally friendly container vessels built.” Another one of her environmentally friendly features is the special silicone-based paint used to paint the hull below the waterline. Rather than biocides which may leak into the ocean, this specialised paint is used to keep barnacles off the hull, while also reducing drag. Maersk credits the silicon paint to saving an average of 1,200 tons of fuel per year.

Currently, Emma Maersk’s destinations, including Gothenburg, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Algeciras and Singapore, will mean the GCC must wait on Emma’s sister ships to be completed. Assuredly, with all of the goods moving between China and the GCC, the region will have its own Maersk super container carrier in due course. However, for the time being, when it comes to the global shipment of goods, Emma Maersk remains in a league of her own.

EMMA’S STATISTICS

Cargo Capacity

• Maximum load: 11,000 20 ft containers, enough to fill a 44 mile long train.
• 1,000 refrigerated containers can be accommodated and provided with power.
• A patent leashing system is used to secure containers.
• Although only 13 crew are needed to operate this vessel, there is accommodation for 30 people

Length: 397 metres
Beam: 56 metres
Depth: 30 metres
Engine: 14 cylinder diesel producing 80,000 kw
Speed: 25.5 knots

Against all odds In 2006, while under construction in the Odense Steel Shipyard in Denmark, a large fire broke out in Emma’s accommodation and bridge. Though heavily damaged, the ship was still able to be completed on time.