[Editor's Note: Phil Ledoux sent me these photos which were forwarded to him. He doesn't know the originating source or the author of the comments, but did say that the ship was apparently built in Denmark. The photos are marked copyright to "xxxxxxxxxxxx" This cargo ship is larger than a modern aircraft carrier and only requires a crew of 13. Remarkable.

Update July 25, 2008: The phtographer complained about helping him expose his work, so the photos were removed. You can read my comments to him at this link:

"Copyright Abuse" Report from Denmark (July 25, 2008)
http://educate-yourself.org/lte/copyrightabuse25jul08.shtml

...Ken]

http://educate-yourself.org/cn/emmamaerskship23may08.shtml
May 23, 2008

Fast Ship from China-The Emma Maersk (May 24, 2008)

Forward courtesy of Philip Ledoux <oldmanfromnh@yahoo.com>



What a ship....no wonder 'Made in China' is displacing North American goods big time with this floating continent transporting goods across the Pacific in 4 days no less!!!





This is how Wal-Mart gets all it's stuff from China Get a load of this ship! 15,000 containers and a 207' beam! And look at the crew-size: 13 people for a ship longer than a US aircraft carrier which has a crew of 5,000 men and officers. Think it's big enough? Notice that 207' beam means it cannot fit through the Panama or Suez Canals It is strictly transpacific. Check out the cruise speed: 31 knots means the goods arrive 4 days before the typical container ship (18-20 knots) on a China-to-California run. So this behemoth is hugely competitive when carrying perishable goods.

This ship was built in five sections. The sections floated together and then welded. The command bridge is higher than a 10-story building and has 11 cargo crane rigs that can operate simultaneously.

Additional info:

Country of origin - Denmark

Length - 1,302 ft

Width - 207 ft

Net cargo - 123,200 tons

Engine - 14 in-line cylinders diesel engine (110,000 BHP)
 
Cruise Speed - 31 knots
 
Cargo capacity - 15,000 TEU (1 TEU = 20 ft3)< /FONT>

Crew - 13 people
 
First Trip - Sept. 08, 2006
 
Construction cost - US $145,000,000+  

Silicone painting applied to the ship bottom reduces water resistance and saves 317,000 gallons of diesel per year

Editorial Comment! A recent documentary in late March on the History Channel, noted that most all of these containers are shipped back to China, EMPTY yep you heard it right. We send nothing back on most of these ships. What does that tell you about the current Financial State of this country?

---