Al Zubara

When the colossal Al Zubara docked at London gateway on September 23, she was believed to be the most laden container ship ever, a fact since confirmed by Matt Abbot, London Gateway's communications officer.





At almost 200,000 deadweight tons, the 1,300-foot Al Zubara is about twice as heavy as a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier or six times as big as a World War II battleship. That makes it the biggest container ship ever built—along with its five sister ships. Each can carry a staggering 18,744 containers at full capacity.







As ships approach the port, they are met by tugs that rotate them to point downstream and nudge them sideways to berth at the quay. Then the unloading process begins.