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It is estimated that about 5,461 container ships are sailing the world’s seas at the moment, but among them, there is a clear winner when it comes to boot space.

The MSC Irina is the biggest cargo ship in the world when it comes to carrying freight, and at full capacity, the sweetly named ship can sail with more than 24,300 standard 20-foot shipping containers stacked up to 26 deep.

This is expressed as a capacity of 24,346 TEU, which refers to a standard container size (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit). Logistics and shipping companies normally load up to 24000 kilograms per container, so in this context, the MSC Irina can carry 24,346 containers of 24000 kilograms each. And it all floats.

MSC Irina was built in 2023 by the Chinese Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group and put into service in April, sailing under the flag of Liberia. The ship has a mind-boggling length of 399.9 metres.

Despite it’s heavy load, a combination of a new type of “invisible” bulbous bow, large-diameter propellers, and energy-saving ducts, as well as adopting a low wind resistance exterior design, allows it to emit 3-4% less carbon compared to similar vessels.

If you’re a fan of the FlightRadar app, you might also like to know there is a version for cargo ships, VesselFinder, which show the real-time location of any ship in the world. In the case of the MSC Irina, she is currently cruising at brisk clip of 18.7 knots just off the coast of Malaysia.

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We often see these bulk carriers cruise into Table Bay harbour, but it is seldom that we think of just what vast distances they travel with enourmous loads. Being able to ferry goods over great distances has put far-off continets within our reach.

The team at Berry & Donaldson handle all of our shipping, so they are used to the engineering marvels that operate around the globe, but for most people its a mysterious world that is hidden behind a wall of customs clearing and warehousing requirement. Luckily they take care of that too.