The world's largest container ships

When launched in 2006, the Emma Maersk shipping container was the world's largest of its kind ever built.
And now these stunning photographs show just how huge the massive vessel is.Built by the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group, the ship measured 397 m (1,302 ft)long, its beam measured 56 m (184 ft), its draught is 16.02 m (52.6 ft) and it reached a depth of 30 m (98 ft).Named after Emma Mærsk, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller's late wife, it can carry up to 170,794 gross tonnes, and can reach speeds of 25.5 knots (29.3 mph)

Combined, the accommodation and bridge of a PS-class vessel are as high as a twelve-storey building

Her maiden voyage took her from Aarhus, stopping by Gothenburg,Algeciras, the Suez Canal, before landing in Singapore

In theory, a PS-vessel like the Emma Mærsk could transport approximately 528 million bananas in a single voyage - enough to give every person in Europe or North America a banana for breakfast

She made headlines that year when she was nicknamed SS Santa because she carried tonnes of Christmas goods from China to the UK

 MAERSK Line ordered the largest ships in its fleet to stop using their stern thrusters until investigators discover what caused a flood onboard

The yawning proportions of the ship make it difficult to comprehend - but one photographer took the opportunity to try and capture the dimensions of the vessel