Thursday, March 13, 2014

Big

Maersk McKinney Moller is the world's largest container ship. It is 20 stories high and extends the length of four consecutive football fields. It was designed specifically for passage between Asia and (northern) Europe, the world's busiest trade route.

Just how big is big, the proverbial question of many a subject? The "megaship" could hold, without breaking a sweat (it's also energy efficient by 30% more than other shippers), 2 million bicycles (training wheels not included) or 100 million pairs of shoes (take that Imelda). If one were to put each of the containers that it could contain, how much wood could a woodchuck chuck...?; let's try that again, if you were to put each of the containers that the ship could contain in a single row, the container ship's containers would stretch for 70 miles.

The ship is a bit of a gamble for Maersk. The efficiency of the ship, like any vessel meant to be filled up, is inextricably contingent on it being filled up. So, the next pair of shoes you own or the bicycle that flies past your driveway as you're trying to pull out of the garage (or the car itself) quite possibly could have taken a journey on this man-made behemoth.