Top 10 Largest Cargo Ships in the World — 2025 (Length, Capacity, Owners, Builders, Specs & Price)
Introduction — why 2025 matters for mega boxships
The decade-long arms race to build ever larger container ships continued into 2025. Ultra-Large Container Vessels (ULCVs) — ships above ~23,000 TEU — dominate the headlines because they promise lower cost-per-container for long, busy trade lanes (Asia↔Europe) and drive ports and terminal upgrades worldwide. This article lists the Top 10 largest cargo/container ships (by TEU and size) in 2025, and gives owner, builder, year built, core technical specs, and realistic price context for newbuilds in today’s market.
Methodology — how we ranked and what “largest” means
✓ “Largest” is judged primarily by TEU capacity (standard in container shipping).
✓ Secondary measures are length overall (LOA) and gross tonnage (GT) where TEU ties occur.
✓ Specs are compiled from ship registries, shipyard data and shipping media.
Quick snapshot — what to expect in the Top 10
✓ The very top ranks are dominated by ships with capacities of 23,900–24,346 TEU.
✓ Owners/operators include MSC, Evergreen, OOCL, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM.
✓ Newbuild prices for ULCVs in 2025 are in the $220M–$295M range depending on LNG dual-fuel and outfitting.
Top 10 largest cargo/container ships — 2025 list
1) MSC Irina
✓ Owner: Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)
✓ Builder: Chinese yards
✓ Year built: 2023
✓ LOA × Beam: 399.9 m × 61.3 m
✓ TEU capacity: 24,346 TEU (largest in 2025)
✓ GT: ~233,328
2) OOCL Spain
✓ Owner: OOCL
✓ Year built: 2023
✓ LOA × Beam: 399.9 m × 61.3 m
✓ TEU: 24,188 TEU
✓ GT: ~235,341
3) MSC Raya (series)
✓ Owner: MSC
✓ Year built: 2023
✓ LOA × Beam: 399.9 m × 61.5 m
✓ TEU: 24,116 TEU
✓ GT: ~230k
4) Ever Alot
✓ Owner: Evergreen
✓ Builder: Hudong-Zhonghua (China)
✓ Year built: 2022
✓ LOA × Beam: 400 m × 61.5 m
✓ TEU: 24,004 TEU
✓ GT: ~236,228
5) Ever Ace
✓ Owner: Evergreen
✓ Year built: 2021
✓ LOA × Beam: 399.9 m × 61.5 m
✓ TEU: 23,992 TEU
✓ GT: ~235,579
6) Genova Express (Hapag-Lloyd)
✓ Owner: Hapag-Lloyd
✓ Year built: 2025
✓ LOA × Beam: 399.9 m × 61.0 m
✓ TEU: 23,664 TEU
✓ GT: ~229,376
7) MSC Mina
✓ Owner: MSC
✓ Year built: 2019
✓ LOA × Beam: 399.8 m × 61.0 m
✓ TEU: 23,656 TEU
✓ GT: ~229k
8) ONE / OOCL 23k+ TEU series
✓ Owners: ONE & OOCL
✓ Year: 2020–2024 deliveries
✓ LOA × Beam: 400 m × 61 m
✓ TEU: 23,600–24,000 TEU
9) CMA CGM 24,000 TEU LNG Dual-Fuel Series
✓ Owner: CMA CGM
✓ Builder: Hudong-Zhonghua
✓ Fuel: LNG dual-fuel
✓ TEU: ~24,000 TEU
10) Other Newcomers (2023–2025)
✓ Several new 23k–24k TEU vessels from MSC, Evergreen, CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd
✓ Built at Hudong-Zhonghua, Samsung Heavy, DSME and Hyundai
✓ All fall in the ~400 m LOA × 61 m beam envelope
Who owns them? Who built them?
✓ Owners: MSC, Evergreen, OOCL, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM
✓ Builders: Hudong-Zhonghua, Jiangnan, Hyundai Heavy, DSME, Samsung Heavy
Price of the World’s Largest Cargo Ships
✓ A modern 23k–24k TEU ship costs $200M–$300M in 2025.
✓ Evergreen’s 2025 LNG-capable orders are priced near $265M–$295M each.
✓ LNG dual-fuel propulsion adds a premium to cost.
FAQs
✓ What is the largest cargo ship in 2025? MSC Irina with 24,346 TEU.
✓ How long is the largest cargo ship? ~400 m LOA.
✓ Who builds these ships? Major Chinese and South Korean shipyards.
✓ What do they cost? $200M–$300M per vessel.
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