Chinese shipbuilder delivers world's largest container vessel

Shanghai-based Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co Ltd delivered a vessel with a capacity of 24,116 TEUs, or 'twenty-foot equivalent' units, to Mediterranean Shipping Company SA (MSC) on Thursday, breaking the record for the world's largest container ship.

The delivery will further consolidate the leading position of Chinese shipbuilders in the construction of ultra-large container vessels.

Named MSC Tessa, the mega boxship is the first of four 24,116-TEU container vessels ordered by Mediterranean Shipping Company.

The vessel, 399.99 meters in length and 61.5 meters wide, is currently the world's largest container ship by capacity, according to Hudong-Zhonghua, a unit of the world's largest shipbuilder, China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC).

Designed independently by Hudong-Zhonghua, the ship boasts a combination of features, including being environmentally friendly, highly efficient, low in energy consumption, while scoring high on safety.

The three remaining vessels on order by Mediterranean Shipping Company are under construction at Hudong-Zhonghua's shipyards, and are set to be delivered individually before August.