Ever Ace: where is world’s largest cargo ship docked in UK, how big is it - how many containers can it carry?

World trade is heavily reliant on cargo ships - a fact that was underlined when the gigantic container ship Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal after running aground in 2021.

Everything from jerry cans to mountain bikes were in short supply for at least two months after the huge vessel was freed from the narrow Egyptian waterway - a key trade route between Europe and the Far East.

Many giant ships like the Ever Given visit the UK every year to supply the country with many key items, but it has just welcomed the world’s largest one - the Ever Ace - to its shores.

So just how big is the Ever Ace container vessel - and where is the best place to see it whilst it is docked in the UK?

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is the Ever Ace?

The Ever Ace is a giant container ship launched in July 2021.

It was built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea as the first of a new fleet of 10 humongous container ships and sails under a Panama flag.

Like the Ever Given, it is run by Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen Marine Corporation.

The vessel operates on what is known as the Europe Express Service - a maritime freight route that runs between China and Europe.

How big is the Ever Ace?

The Ever Ace is considered to be the world’s largest container ship because it can carry 23,992 standard 20 feet by eight feet (6.10 metres by 2.4 metres) shipping containers - 28 more than the previous record holder HMM Algeciras.

It holds the record for the most containers carried on a vessel in a single journey - 21,710 - almost 300 more than the previous record.

Weighing in at 235,579 tonnes, Ever Ace is roughly as heavy as 1,178 blue whales and around 38,780 elephants.

The vessel is 400 metres long (1,300 feet), more than 90 metres longer than London’s The Shard is tall and approximately 20 metres bigger than New York’s Empire State Building.

Sitting at roughly half a metre longer than the Ever Given, it means these images from the app Glitch can give you a sense of its size compared to other major UK landmarks - including the Eden Project in Cornwall, Angel of the North in Newcastle and Stormont in Northern Ireland.

Where is the Ever Ace docked?

The Ever Ace is currently docked in one of the UK’s largest container ports at Felixstowe, Suffolk - just over 11 miles away from the city of Ipswich.

Arriving in the early hours of Sunday (19 June), the vessel came from Malaysia via Singapore, the Suez Canal and Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

It first visited Felixstowe’s port during its 2021 maiden voyage.

According to global ship tracking website Marine Traffic, the Ever Ace’s next port of call is Hamburg, Germany.

If you want to see the ship up close, the best places to head to are Landguard Fort in Felixstowe or the main beach in Harwich, Essex.