A new fleet of super-sized container ships is being launched into the world’s seaways and is set to have a significant impact on global intermodal freight capacity. The E Class ships are owned by the Maersk line, which claims that the ships will reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 50% with considerable savings in fuel as well1. Designed to be efficient freight carriers that are able to take advantage of the cost effectiveness of a larger economy of scale, these ships are able to carry 18,000 containers at once.

While the technology and size of these super container ships has been in development, the seaports where they will eventually transport their goods have also been scrambling to upgrade their infrastructures and capacities to enable them to handle these giants. At present, only a handful of the world’s ports are capable of handling the behemoths, and they won’t be able to travel through the Panama Canal even after the redevelopment is finished in 2015. In the United Kingdom, only Southhampton and Felixstowe are currently capable of dealing with the E Class ships, and even these ports are limited in the volume of freight that they can accept. The new London Gateway port facilities at the mouth of the Thames, just outside of London, has just completed the infrastructure upgrades required, including the installation of the first of 24 planned 138 meter cranes specifically designed for these ships2.

Currently, there are no ports in South America that can accept these huge ships, and in Asia, only the largest ports at Shanghai and Singapore are equipped to work with them. Across Europe, there are projects underway to develop the facilities required as the E Class ships can currently only dock at Rotterdam. In neighboring Belgium, there are works in progress to deepen the port of Antwerp and redevelop the infrastructure to enable the ships to make port there as well, taking advantage of Antwerp’s central position in the European intermodal freight network where it connects to major highways and rail lines.

With plans to launch twenty of these vessels by the end of 20153, the ports that can equip themselves now for the coming tidal wave of cargo will be well positioned to thrive and help to develop their national economies. As these huge vessels with their enormous capacity are currently the future of intermodal transport, there is sure to be a surge of development of facilities across the globe as ports work to get in on their share of this new opportunity in the freight transport sector.

References:
1. https://www.worldslargestship.com/
2. https://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/06/triple-e-container-ship-europe
3. https://www.ship-technology.com/projects/triple-e-class/