SHIP FROM CHINA The Emma Maersk

What a ship....no wonder 'Made in China' is displacing North American goods big time with this floating continent transporting goods across the Pacific in 4 days no less!!!

This is how Wal-Mart gets all it's stuff from China. Get a load of this ship! 15,000 containers and a 207' beam! And look at the crew-size: 13 people for a ship longer than a US aircraft carrier which has a crew of 5,000 men and officers. Think it's big enough? Notice that 207' beam means it cannot fit through the Panama or Suez Canals It is strictly transp acific. Check out the cruise speed: 31 knots means the goods arrive 4 days before the typical container ship (18-20 knots) on a China-to- California run. So this behemoth is hugely competitive when carrying perishable goods.

This ship was built in five sections. The sections floated together and then welded. The command bridge is higher than a 10-story building and has 11 cargo cr ane rigs that can operate simultaneously.

Additional info: Country of origin - Denmark Length - 1,302 ft Width ft Net cargo - 123,200 tons Engine - 14 in-line cylinders diesel engine (110,000 BHP) Cruise Speed - 31 knots Cargo capacity - 15,000 TEU (1 TEU = 20 ft3) Crew - 13 people First Trip - Sept. 08, 2006 Construction cost - US $145,000,000+

Silicone painting applied to the ship bottom reduces water resistance and saves 317,000 gallons of diesel per year

Editorial Comment! A recent documentary in late March on the History Channel, noted that most all of these containers are shipped back to China, EMPTY - yep you heard it right. We send nothing back on most of these ships. What does that tell you about the current Financial State of this country?