Information about largest container vessel, Emma Maerk

Emma Maersk is a container ship owned by the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group. When she was launched, Emma Maersk was the largest container ship ever built. As of 2009 she and her 7 sister ships are the longest container ships constructed and the longest ships currently in use. Officially, Emma Maersk is able to carry around 11,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) according to the Maersk company's method of calculating capacity, which, at her introduction into service, was about 1,400 more containers than any other ship is capable of carrying. The Emma Maersk was also featured on an entire episode of Mighty Ships.
By normal calculations, Emma Maersk's cargo capacity is significantly greater than the listed capacity—between 13,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) and 15,200 TEU. The difference between the official and estimated numbers is because Maersk calculates the capacity of a container ship by weight (in this case, 14 tons/container) that can be carried on a vessel. For the Emma Maersk, this is 11,000+ containers. Other companies calculate the capacity of a container ship according to the maximum number of containers that can be put on the ship, independent of the weight of the containers. This number is always greater than the number calculated by the Maersk method.
Comparing the size of ships can be done in various ways. Comparing ships in different trades often comes down to simple dimensions or weight of cargo carried. Ships in the same trade can, usually, be compared more directly. One measure of the 'size' of a vessel is the Gross Tonnage, which is a measure of volume. Here the Emma Maersk, and her sisters, at about 170,000 gross tons, are clearly much bigger than—for example—the MSC Daniela class, which are about 135,000 gross tons; a point to note is that the MSC ships are of a different design, with Bridge well forward, and Engine Room and funnel well aft; this is claimed—by both builder and operator—to be (slightly) more efficient. The Maersk ships are some thirty metres longer, four metres wider, and have a slightly greater full load draft than the MSC vessels.

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