The E class comprises eight 14,770 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) container ships. Each sister ship bears a name beginning with the letter "E". Until 2012, they were the largest container ship ever constructed, and are among the longest ships currently in use at 398 metres (1,306 ft) long and 56 metres (184 ft) wide. They are owned by the Danish A. P. Moller-Maersk Group. The first in the class built was Emma Maersk by Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd., Denmark. The ships Emma,[2] Estelle,[3] and Eugen[4] were subjects of TV documentaries. The E class was followed by the larger and more fuel efficient Triple E class.[5]
 Eleonora Maersk at Gdańsk Deepwater Container Terminal on 26 May 2011 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd. |
| Operators | Maersk Line |
| Succeeded by | Triple E class |
| In service | 8 |
| Completed | 8 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Container ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 397.7 m (1,304 ft 9 in) |
| Beam | 56.4 m (185 ft 0 in) |
| Draught | 15.5 m (50 ft 10 in) |
| Depth | 30.2 m (99 ft 1 in) (deck edge to keel) |
| Propulsion | 81 MW (109,000 hp) Wärtsilä 14RT-Flex96c plus 30 MW (40,000 hp) from five Caterpillar 8M32 |
| Speed | 25.5 knots (47.2 km/h; 29.3 mph) |
| Capacity | |
| Crew | 13, with room for 30 |
| Notes | [1] |
Capacity upgrade
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In 2016, the decision was made to upgrade the capacity of the ships and make them more efficient at lower speeds. The capacity increase was done by increasing the height of the lashing bridges and adding an extra floor to the accommodation block. This allows the containers to be stacked higher on deck. To help maintain stability, flume tanks were added on the sides of the accommodation block. The work was carried out at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry's shipyard in China.[6]
List of ships
| Ship | Yard number | IMO number | Delivery | Status | ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Mærsk | L203 | 9321483 | 31 Aug 2006 | In service | [7] |
| Estelle Mærsk | L204 | 9321495 | 9 Nov 2006 | In service | [8] |
| Eleonora Mærsk | L205 | 9321500 | 12 Jan 2007 | In service | [9] |
| Evelyn Mærsk | L206 | 9321512 | 29 Mar 2007 | In service | [10] |
| Ebba Mærsk | L207 | 9321524 | 15 Jun 2007 | In service | [11] |
| Elly Maersk | L208 | 9321536 | 5 Sep 2007 | In service | [12] |
| Edith Mærsk | L209 | 9321548 | 14 Nov 2007 | In service | [13] |
| Eugen Mærsk | L210 | 9321550 | 29 Jan 2008 | In service | [14] |