The Moller Maersk Mackinney is a cargo vessel, Triple E class, with a total length of
400 m. Thus make it one of the largest cargo ships in the world. In fact, being big is
the main purpose of a floating container aimed to transport goods.
The Maersk Mackinney Moller was one of the twenty container ships produced by
Maersk Company. Since 2013, they are the vessels with the greatest TEU capacity
ever built. The Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) in South Korea
were in charge of their construction, which began on June 18, 2012 and had an
initial budget of 140 million euros. The first ship was launched for the first time on
February 24, 2013, while the deadlines of the other 19 ships were between 2013
and 2015.
The Triple-E ships, what stand for Efficiency, Economies of scale and
Environmental care, are among the largest and most modern container ships in the
world. These amazing vessels contain 30,000 kW engines and two propellers,
employing the "twin-skeg" system. Thanks to the recovery of wasted heat on
board, the ship is able to save 10% of energy consumption regarding the main
engine.
With her 400 m. length, 59 m. width and 73 m. between the lower base and the
antennae tower, she is as long as four football fields. Her cargo capacity is
equivalent to 18,270 containers, or if expressed in tons, almost 200,000 tons. By
comparison, a pair of shoes with their boxes for all residents within Spain could be
carried or, more common today, she would be able to transport 182 million iPads
in one single trip. If all these containers were put in a straight line, it would
measure 110 km long and they would be stuck up, it would be 47 km high. In fact,
the ship is able to carry so much cargo that at the beginning she was forced to
operate below her maximum load. The underlying reason was that the ports where
she operated did not have height enough to entirely load the ship. So the design of
the Maersk had to be re-adapted because of the size of the loading ports. To do so,
the helmet shape had to be modified, which was previously in a conventional V and
is currently U-shaped, which allows it to store over 1,500 containers inside.
Another reform was to move the engine room and the fireplace to the stern,
increasing the space between it and the bridge and therefore allowing it to carry
up to 750 additional containers.
But the design of the Maersk was not only focused on being able to carry as many
containers as possible, but to reduce the gases and pollution that she emitted. In
short, Maersk Company have designed ships that are more environmentally
friendly. Thanks to their engines, they are capable to reach 23 knots, while
increasing efficiency and reducing fuel consumption. Thus, carbon dioxide
emissions decreased in a 20% in comparison to previous cargo ships. Interestingly,
only 19 crewmembers are needed for normal operation, but she is able to have up
to 34 people on board.
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