Container ship causes pollution

The Guardian has reported on new research showing that in one year, a single large container ship can emit cancer and asthma-causing pollutants equivalent to that of 50 million cars.

The low grade bunker fuel used by the world’s 90,000 cargo ships contains up to 2,000 times the amount of sulphur compared to diesel fuel used in automobiles. The recent boom in the global trade of manufactured goods has also resulted in a new breed of super sized container ship which consumes fuel not by the gallons, but by tons per hour, and shipping now ac-counts for 90% of global trade by volume.

The title of world’s largest container ship is actually held by eight identical ships owned by Danish shipping line Mærsk. All eight ships are 397.7m long and can carry 15,200 shipping containers around the globe at a steady 25.5 knots (47.2 km/h) .

The only thing limiting the size of these ships is the Suezmax standard, which is the term used to define the largest ships capable of transiting the Suez Canal fully loaded. These ships far surpass the Panamax standard (ships that can fit through the Panama Canal), which is limited to ships capable of carrying 5,000 shipping containers.

Not only are shipbuilders resetting the world record for size on a regular basis but so are the diesel engines that propel them.

One of the eight longest container ships in the world, the 397.7m Emma Mærsk also has the world’s largest reciprocating engine. At five storeys tall and weighing 2300 tonnes, this 14 cylinder turbocharged two-stroke monster puts out 84.4 MW.