Container ships getting bigger

The largest container ships are now exceeding 8,000 TEU.
According to The KMI, the China Shipping Group, and Seaspan Container Lines in Canada have signed a contract to build five 8,100 TEU container ships with Samsung Shipping in Korea.
The largest container ships to date are 6,600 TEU ships at Maersk-Sealand, which can transport far more than 6,600 TEU when containers are empty.
The extra-large new ships, which will be operated by CSCL, a subsidiary company of the China Shipping Group, will replace existing 4,250 TEU class ships that are sailing with the major world liners now.
These extra-large ships are 334 meters long, 42.8 meters wide, and sail at a cruising speed of 25.9 knots an hour. Each ship costs 80 million dollars, with 18 ships scheduled to be built.
In the mean time, Seaspan Container Lines plans to build 9,000 TEU ships with CMA-CGM in France; the contract will be finalized in the first half of this year.
The extra-large ships will operate in major east-west routes mainly after 2005.