BBC Future Now did a great piece on the Ebba Maersk container ship:
“At any moment, there are 50,000 container ships criss-crossing the oceans carrying over 5-6 million containers stuffed with goods.”
Built in 2007, the Ebba Maersk is 1,300 feet long. That means “it’s 62 feet longer than the Empire State building” and carries over 200,000 tons! This thing is a beast!
The Ebba features 5,000 alarm channels, 1,184sq ft rudder, 328ft long shaft from engine to propeller and the world’s biggest diesel engine.
90% of all non-bulk cargo is shipped by sea on-board container ships. Many of these ships can carry 10,000+ containers!
The Dover Strait, used by 400 commercial vessels daily, is the world’s busiest shipping lane.
