Record 24-Row Container Ship Delivered

South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries has delivered the world's largest container ship.

MSC Gülsün is one of six 23,000-TEU vessels ordered by MSC in 2017. According to local media, she has capacity for 23,756 TEUs and is the first container ship to have 24 rows across the deck. At 400 meters long, 61.5 meters wide and 33.2 meters high, this gives up to 1,500 TEUs extra capacity compared to existing ships. 

The actual number of containers carried could be lower due to cargo weight and port drafts. MSC Gülsün has a gross tonnage of 210,000 and a load capacity of 197,500 tons.

Her maiden voyage is on the Silk/AE10 service from Xingang to norther Europe operated by the 2M alliance.

Samsung Heavy Industries was the first to build a container ship over 20,000 TEUs after receiving an order from Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) in 2015. MOL took delivery of the 20,170-TEUs MOL Triumph from Samsung Heavy Industries in 2017. She claimed the record of the largest container ship at the time. 

Also delivered that year was the 20,568-TEU Madrid Maersk from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and the 21,413-TEU OOCL Hong Kong built by Samsung Heavy Industries.