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One of the largest class of Container ships in the late 1900s was the P&O Southampton class with Southampton the first of four ships in this class delivered to P&O in 1998 by IHI. This class of container ship is registered to carry 6,788 containers, 81,000 tons, 987 feet long, 140 feet wide, thought to be the largest that could be built as ports could only handle that size of ship.

By 2013, many ports had been enlarged to handle even larger container ships being built to around 1,300 feet long, 200 feet wide, 232,618 gross tons, carry about 24,000 containers, with a draught of 55 feet, such as the Ever Ace below. This seems to be the largest that can be built until ports are enlarged again.

The largest Oil Tankers are about 1,504 feet long, 226 feet wide, 260,851 gross tons. Largest Cruise Ships 1,181ft long, 198ft wide, 227,000 Gross Registered Tons, largest Aircraft Carriers 1,092ft long, 252ft wide, 100,000? Gross Registered Tons. GRT is the dimensions of a ship, length, width and height.

Larger Image of P&O Nedlloyd Southampton by Chris Hunsicker at shipspotting

Larger Image of Ever Ace and Image Information at Wiki.

This seems now to be the standard size of the largest container ships, probably so the ports can be set up to accommodate them. Largest Container Ships List

These new Container Ships have the Bridge close to the front and a Straight Bow rather than a Sweeping Bow.

The Bridge at the rear, a design from the 1960s, was dangerous as the Pilots could see little in front of them, and the Sweeping Bow, a design from the 1930s, led to the ships Plunging nose first into rough seas. The Straight Bow, or Sloping Back Bow, helps reduce Plunging, but looks old style as was used in Warships in the 1910s. The Sweeping Bow looks far better, will take a bit of getting used to seeing Cruise Ships and other Large Ships with Straight Bows.

The History of the present standard container began in 1956 after a United States company began constructing containers with reinforced corners for stacking purposes. The first container ship was a converted Oil Tanker named Ideal X that entered service in 1956.

In the same year, the first containerships began operating between America and Puerto Rico. By 1966, ships loaded with containers began docking in European ports. The first European containership was the 13,382-ton Wesser Express of the German company Hapag Lloyd. This ship entered service in 1968 transporting containers from Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Antwerp and Rotterdam - New York, Baltimore and Norfolk.

These ships revolutionized cargo shipping, as conventional cargo ships could take 8 - 10 days to unload 10,000 tons, where as containerships could unload 10,000 tons in 2 days. A standard container of 20 feet by 8 feet by 8 feet is capable of carrying 15 to 20 tons, a 40-foot container can carry 30 tons. There are also many specially designed containers including refrigerated for transporting food.

As container ships using the Panama Canal locks were restricted to 116 feet wide and 1,000 feet in length, the largest Panamax Ships were designed to carry 4,442 containers.

The first of five 130-foot wide President Truman class ships built in Germany were delivered to the US American Presidents Line in 1988. This company had devised routes for these ships capable of carrying 4,500 containers to operate without using the Panama Canal. This became the way of the future with 97 percent of new orders then being for post Panamax containerships.

Larger Image and Image Information of President Trueman front and its sister ship President Kennedy at Wiki.

The Panama Canal Locks were enlarged in 2016 to take Container Ships 1,201 feet long, 160 feet wide, 230,000 tons, carrying up to 14,000 containers.

The Suez Canal can take ships up to 1,300ft long and 254ft wide, so can take the largest Container Ships, and largest modern double hull Oil Tankers that are 1,246ft long and 223ft wide. The largest Oil Tankers built in the 1980s, now all out of service, were 1,504ft long and 226ft wide.