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What a ship...no wonder 'Made in China ' is displacing North American made goods big time. This monster transports goods across the Pacific in just 5 days! Another two will soon be commissioned.. These ships were commissioned by Wal-Mart - to get its imported goods from China ... They hold an incredible 15,000 containers and have a 207 foot deck beam! A full crew is just 13 people on a ship longer than a US Aircraft Carrier, which has a crew of 5,000. With its 207' beam it is too big to fit through the Panama or Suez Canals ... It is strictly transpacific. Cruise speed: 31 knots. The goods arrive four days before the typical container ship (18-20 knots) on a China-to-California run. 91% of Walmart products are made in China. So this behemoth is hugely competitive - even if carrying perishable goods. The ship was built in 5 sections. The sections are floated together and then welded. The command bridge, higher than a 10-story building, has 11 cargo crane rigs that can operate simultaneously unloading the entire ship in less than two hours. Additional info: Country of origin - Denmark Length - 1,302 ft Width - 207 ft Net cargo - 123,200 tons Engine - 14 cylinders in-line diesel engine (110,000 BHP) Cruise Speed - 31 knots Cargo capacity - 15,000 TEU (1 TEU = 20 cubic feet) Crew - 13 people! First trip - Sept. 08, 2006 Construction cost - US $145,000,000+ Silicone painting applied to the ship bottom reduces water resistance and saves 317,000 gallons of fuel annually. Editorial Comment! A documentary in late March, 2010, on the History Channel, noted that all of these containers are returned to China, EMPTY! Yep, that's right. We send nothing back on these ships. Enough said! Via Tina B.