The E class comprises eight 14,770 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) container ships. Each sister ship bears a name beginning with the letter "E". Until 2012, they were the largest container ship ever constructed, and are among the longest ships currently in use at 398m (1,306feet) long and 56m (184feet) wide. They are owned by the Danish A. P. Moller-Maersk Group. The first in the class built was by Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd., Denmark. The ships Emma,[1] Estelle,[2] and Eugen[3] were subjects of TV documentaries. The E class was followed by the larger and more fuel efficient .[4]
In 2016, the decision was made to upgrade the capacity of the ships and make them more efficient at lower speeds. The capacity increase was done by increasing the height of the lashing bridges and adding an extra floor to the accommodation block. This allows the containers to be stacked higher on deck. To help maintain stability, flume tanks were added on the sides of the accommodation block. The work was carried out at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry's shipyard in China.[5]
Ship | Yard number | IMO number | Delivery | Status | ref | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L203 | 9321483 | 31 Aug 2006 | In service | |||
L204 | 9321495 | 9 Nov 2006 | In service | |||
L205 | 9321500 | 12 Jan 2007 | In service | |||
L206 | 9321512 | 29 Mar 2007 | In service | |||
L207 | 9321524 | 15 Jun 2007 | In service | |||
L208 | 9321536 | 5 Sep 2007 | In service | |||
L209 | 9321548 | 14 Nov 2007 | In service | |||
L210 | 9321550 | 29 Jan 2008 | In service |