World’s largest container ship in 2022

An enormous demand for sea transport is causing shipyards to build bigger and bigger ships. Container ships carrying several hundred units are no longer impressing anyone. The world’s largest container ship was launched in December in China.

Ever Alot, launched on December 29 at the Hudong Zhonghua shipyard in China, is currently the biggest container ship in the world. This almost 400-metre-long vessel can hold up to 24,004 TEU. This is one of six container ships in the series. The Ever Alot is owned by the popular Evergreen company, the ship of which blocked the Suez Canal in 2021. What’s interesting, the Ever Alot has exactly the same dimensions as its predecessor, but the manufacturer’s changes in design have made room for 12 more units. 

Manufacturers of container ships fight for every extra space trying to beat the capacity records of predecessors. Therefore, the Ever Alot will not hold the leading position for long, more vessels of similar size are being built in the Chinese shipyard. 

World’s largest container ship in 2021

Until recently, the Ever Ice, which was launched in the summer of 2021, as well as the HMM algeciras, launched in 2020, with a capacity of 23,964 units, were considered the world’s largest container ships. 

History of container ships

Before container ships appeared, goods were transported manually as bulk cargo. Boxes, barrels and sacks were used for this purpose. In 1766 James Brindley created a box boat that held 10 wooden containers for transporting coal from mines.  

The revolution in containerisation was led in 1956 by Malcolm McLean, who discovered that standardisation of containers could partially help to mechanise the loading and unloading of ships and trains. This American entrepreneur transformed a tanker into a container ship that could carry 53 25-foot containers, thus creating a cargo container that is still considered the standard today.