MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Largest container vessel made her fist trip

A ship said to be the world's largest container vessel has arrived in a Suffolk port to unload 45,000 tonnes of Christmas goods from China.

Hundreds of spectators lined the shore to watch the Emma Maersk as it was guided into Felixstowe by three tugs.

The ship is a quarter of a mile long --397 metres long and 56 metres wide--, 200ft high and as wide as a motorway, its accommodation and bridge are as high as a 12-storey building and can carry 11,000 20ft containers operated by a crew of just 13.

Its cargo of toys, books, computers, Christmas crackers, decorations and food, are bound for Britain and mainland Europe.

The vessel's master, Henrik Solmer, expressed pride at being the first person to take charge of it and said he was often hailed by other ships that it passed.

But campaigners have warned of the environmental damage such giant ships could cause.

The ship's Danish owner, Maersk Line, said the Emma Maersk was "one of the most environmentally friendly" container-vessels built.

The ship is on its maiden voyage bound for Gothenburg, in Sweden, and has previously called at Yantian in China, Hong Kong and Tanjung Pelepas, in Malaysia.

A total of 3,000 containers are being unloaded in the Suffolk port.

The ship will then move on to mainland Europe to deliver other containers.