Encyclopedia

The Triple E class is a family of very large container ships of more than 18,000 TEU belonging to Maersk.

With a length of 399.2 m (1,309 ft 9 in), when they were built they were the largest container ships in the world, but were subsequently surpassed by larger ones such as CSCL Globe.

The name “Triple E” is derived from the class’s three design principles: “Economy of scale, Energy efficient and Environmentally improved”.

The ships are 399.2 metres (1,309 ft 9 in) long and 59 metres (193 ft 7 in) wide. The Triple E ships are able to carry 2,500 more containers. With a beam of 59 metres, they are too wide to traverse the Panama Canal, but can transit the Suez Canal.

One of the class’s main design features is its dual 29.68-megawatt (39,800 hp) ultra-long stroke two-stroke diesel engines, driving two propellers at a design speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph).

The Triple E design helped Maersk win a “Sustainable Ship Operator of the Year” award in July 2011.

Maersk plans to use the ships to service routes between Europe and Asia, projecting that Chinese exports will continue to grow. European-Asian trade represents the company’s largest market; it already has 100 ships serving this route.

Source: Wikipedia