The Virginian- Pilot reports that, ‘just a decade ago, Gudrun Maersk, a container ship roughly as big as some of the largest now visiting Hampton Roads routinely, enjoyed biggest-container-ship-in-the-world status. The trophy has changed hands four times and rests with the MSC Oscar.’
More than 50 ships able to carry at least 10,000 units were expected to go into service on the Asia-Europe route between October and next December, according Drewry Maritime Research of London.
A downstream effect is “bunching,” Harris said: increasingly bigger ships arriving back to back, discharging larger amounts of containers and straining the operational capacity of a port’s terminals.
The resulting congestion has contributed to backups at ports all over the country.