Supply Chain Digital runs the rule over the largest container vessels in the world , based on their twenty-foot equivalent unit ( TEU ) capacity
The Empire State Building is four floors ( or decks ) shorter than the largest container vessel in the world . Today , more than 5,000 comparable container ships travel the oceans of the world , transporting the majority of the global population ’ s consumer products from their manufacturers to their intended markets .
These mighty vessels are arguably the driving force behind the global economy , but just 60 years ago they did not exist . In 1956 , Malcolm McLean changed the cargo shipping industry forever by introducing the idea of container shipping . Since then , the arms race to build the biggest ships has been raging on , driving the shipbuilding industry to create the biggest ships allowed by science and the boundaries of physics . Today , the world ’ s largest container ships are easily the biggest vehicles ever constructed . Here is our countdown of the ten largest container ships operating today .
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