CMA CGM Marco Polo Worlds ex-Largest Carrying Container Ship 10th December 2012.

Today saw the departure of currently the worlds 2nd largest carrying containership the CMA CGM Marco Polo from Southampton Container Port. She arrived yesterday morning just before 9am, Marco Polo is a brand new containership and came into service at the begining of November this year, "As of this year 2013 The title of the worlds biggest and largest carrying container ship has now gone to The first Triple-E, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller. belonging to Maersk Lines." There is some confusion as how Marco Polo took the title from "Emma Maersk" but Marco Polo can carry about 16,020 Containers in one go nearly 1,500 more than "Emma Maersk" at 14,770 containers but "Emma Maersk" is slighlty longer by about a metre and her beam is wider by just over 2.4 metres and not so heavy in tonnage than Marco Polo, but today this was CMA CGM Marco Polo's maiden voyage from Southampton bound for Hamburg, Please read at bottom of page some notes for comparision between the two. She departed from her berth just before 3pm and was assisted by the Svitzer Tugs Bristol, Sarah, Ferriby and Bentley. There was quite a few people watching Marco Polo pass by Mayflower Park from where I watched the spectacle and it was a mighty great sight to witness and there will be more vessels of this size being built and come to Southampton I hope, as I speak the Port is being redeveloped to cope with this size of vessel and more. Marco Polo will be back in Southampton on Feb 25th 2013 calling in every 11 weeks. Her sister ship CMA CGM Alexander Von Humboldt a new build for 2013 is now in service and called into Southampton on 25th May 2013 and departed the following day. Here are basic some facts about Marco Polo: She weighs in a mighty 175,343 GT and 187,625 DWT with a length of 396 metres or (1,299ft 3ins and a Beam of 53.6 metres or (175ft 10ins) she has a top speed of 25.1 knots with a crew of about 27 and with a carrying capacity of 16,020 TEU's. Some facts about Emma Maersk in comparision to CMA CGM Marco Polo: She weighs in at 170,974 GT and DWT 156,907 with a length of 397 metres and a Beam of 56 metres she has a top speed of 25.5 Knots with a crew of about 13 and with a carrying capacity of about 14,770 containers.