Size Categories
Container ships are distinguished into seven major size categories: small feeder, feeder, feedermax, panamax, post-panamax, new panamax and ultra-large.
The size of a panamax vessel is limited by the Panama canal's lock chambers, which can accommodate ships with a beam of up to 32.31 m, a length overall of up to 294.13 m, and a draft of up to 12.04 m. The "post panamax" category has historically been used to describe ships with a moulded breadth over 32.31 m, however the Panama Canal expansion project is causing some changes in terminology. The "new panamax" category is based on the maximum vessel-size that will be able to transit a new third set of locks. The new locks are being built to accommodate a container ship with a length overall of 366 metres (1,201 ft), a maximum width of 49 metres (161 ft), and tropical fresh-water draft of 15.2 metres (50 ft). Such a vessel would be wide enough to carry 19 rows of containers, have a total capacity of approximately 12,000 TEU and be comparable in size to a capesize bulk carrier or a suezmax tanker.
Container ships under 3,000 TEU are generally called feeders. Feeders are small ships that typically operate between smaller container ports. Some feeders collect their cargo from small ports, drop it off at large ports for transshipment on larger ships, and distribute containers from the large port to smaller regional ports. This size of vessel is the most likely to carry cargo cranes on board.
| Container Ship Size Categories | ||||||
| Name | Capacity (TEU) |
Length | Beam | Draft | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra Large Container Vessel (ULCV) | 14,501 and higher | 1,200 ft (366 m) and longer | 160.7 ft (49 m) and wider | 49.9 ft (15.2 m) and deeper | With a length of 397 m, a width of 56 m, draft of 15.5 m, and a capacity of over 15,000 TEU, ships of the Emma Maersk class are well over the limits of the New Panamax class. (Photo: The 15,000 TEU MV Edith Maersk.) | |
| New panamax | 10,000–14,500 | 1,200 ft (366 m) | 160.7 ft (49 m) | 49.9 ft (15.2 m) | With a beam of 43 m, ships of the COSCO Guangzhou class are much too big to fit through the Panama Canal's old locks, but could easily fit through the new expansion. (Photo: The 9,500 TEU MV COSCO Guangzhou pierside in Hamburg. ) | |
| Post panamax | 5,101–10,000 | |||||
| Panamax | 3,001 – 5,100 | 965 ft (294.13 m) | 106 ft (32.31 m) | 39.5 ft (12.04 m) | Ships of the Bay-class are at the upper limit of the Panamax class, with an overall length of 292.15 m, beam of 32.2m, and maximum depth of 13.3 m. (Photo: The 4,224 TEU MV Providence Bay passing through the Panama Canal.) | |
| Feedermax | 2,001 – 3,000 | Container ships under 3,000 TEU are typically called feeders, and are most likely to have cargo cranes. (Photo: The 384 TEU MV TransAtlantic at anchor.) | ||||
| Feeder | 1,001 – 2,000 | |||||
| Small feeder | Up to 1,000 | |||||
Read more about this topic: Container Ship, Architecture
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