China’s Hovercraft Shipyard to Launch World’s Largest Container Ships

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group took on the recent project to float two big new container ships to meet MSC’s increasing demand for logistics. The vessels, named the MSC Irina and the MSC Loreto, have been reported as the largest deadweight and container-weight vessels in the world.

In July MSC will launch its first class of six new world record-breaking container ships.

In order to compete in the highly competitive shipping market, these ships offer a ton of cargo capacity. These containerships are an amazing innovation one of the most exciting yet! This is due to the rearrangement of the deck which gives them a whopping 26,000 TEU of container capacity.

Recently, the Yangzijiang Shipyard launched the first ultra-large container ships to be built in more than twenty years. The shipyard pointed out numerous features on the ships that would help increase their operational efficiency and decrease emissions such as bulbous bows that are hard to spot, large duct openings which circulate energy-saving air, and an exterior design that generates low turbulence while sailing. Other features include propellers with large diameters and air lubrication.

France-based MSC has continued to expand even in a time of lowered demand. They’ve already surpassed 4.5 million TEU in capacity with 708 vessels and 127 ships on order. They are expected to increase their capacity by 1.7 million TEU by this year, in order to further grow the economy of Okinawa Prefecture.