The ship is the length of three football pitches (Image: Getty)
The world’s largest container ship, the MSC Irina, has officially entered service, boasting a length of three football pitches and weighing the same as 250,000 cars. With a twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) of 24,300, it holds the record for the largest container ship in terms of capacity.
The MSC Irina is en route to the port of Valencia, Spain, sailing at a speed of 6.7 knots and expected to arrive there on March 3. Constructed and launched into service in 2023, the MSC Irina sails under the Liberian flag. It is the first in a series of six ships to be built by China’s Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group and is part of a four-vessel deal worth an estimated $600 million.
:
The MSC IRINA set sail in Qingdao (Image: Getty)
The ship can accommodate more than 24,300 standard 20-foot shipping containers, stacked up to 26 deep. Additionally, it emits 3-4 per cent less carbon compared to similar-sized vessels despite weighing over 200,000 gross tonnes.
Work on the MSC Irina commenced in November 2021, with dock assembly starting in June the following year. The ship was launched for the first time on August 10 and floated out on October 29.
In February 2023, the MSC Irina before heading to the Zhejiang Zhoushan Shipyard for final touches ahead of its delivery in early March.
The vessel’s maiden voyage will take it from Qingdao to Busan, back to China, then onto Singapore, Italy, and Spain via the Suez Canal. On its return journey, it will make stops at ports in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Read more [TRAVEL] [HOLIDAY]
It has a dead weight of 240,000 (Image: Getty)
With a deadweight of 240,000 DWT and a TEU of 24,346, the ship measures 399.9 meters (1,312 feet) in length and 61.3 meters (201.1 feet) in width. While its dimensions are comparable to many existing vessels, its capacity surpasses all other container ships, exceeding the previous record-holder, OOCL Spain, by over 150 TEU.
MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A.), based in Geneva, Switzerland, is the world’s premier container liner company. With a global presence, it operates 675 offices across 155 countries.
Its ships traverse more than 260 trade routes, boasting a fleet of 730 vessels with a cargo capacity of roughly 4.6 million international standard container units (TEU). The company’s annual capacity stands at an impressive 23 million TEU.