GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 26, 2026
container ship
Container ships are purpose-built vessels equipped with cellular hold structures that allow standardised ISO containers to be stacked and locked precisely—both below deck and on top—enabling large-scale, efficient cargo movement worldwide.
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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_ship
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Situation hub: Panama Canal
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Container ships are purpose-built vessels equipped with cellular hold structures that allow standardised ISO containers to be stacked and locked precisely—both below deck and on top—enabling large-scale, efficient cargo movement worldwide. Capacity is measured in TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), spanning from small feeder vessels of a few hundred TEU to Ultra-Large Container Vessels (ULCVs) exceeding 20,000 TEU. Size classifications such as Panamax and Post-Panamax reflect the historical dimensions of the Panama Canal locks. Containerisation, which took hold from the late 1950s, cut cargo-handling costs dramatically and created the foundation for modern global supply chains.
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Situation hub: Panama Canal
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