Seoul: South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries said Monday it had started construction on a Chinese order for the world's largest container ships.
China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) awarded the contract for the five vessels, each with a capacity of 18,400 TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) container boxes to Hyundai in May.
The size broke the previous record of the 18,000 TEU container ships another South Korean firm, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine, had built for Denmark's A.P. Moeller-Maersk.
Since the order was made, Hyundai said the vessels for CSCL had been further upgraded to a 19,000 TEU-capacity at the Chinese company's request.
Hyundai said in a statement that the first ship would be delivered in November.
Each ship will boast a 400 metre (yard) long deck, while standing 30.5 metres high and 58.6 metres wide.
