Malaccamax
Encyclopedia
Malaccamax is a naval architecture
term for the largest size of ship capable of fitting through the 25 metres (82 ft)-deep Strait of Malacca
. Because the Sunda Strait
is even shallower at 20 metres (65.6 ft) minimum depth, a post-Malaccamax ship would need to use even longer alternate routes such as:
or artificially excavated new routes such as:
Bulk carrier
s and supertankers have been built to this size, and the term is chosen for very large crude carriers (VLCC). One recent design of container ship
, approaching the Malaccamax size limit, is the Maersk Triple E class
, with a capacity of . Growth in demand for container transport could be leading to the creation of new terminals dedicated to such large ships.
Similar terms of Panamax
, Suezmax
and Seawaymax
are used for the largest ships capable of fitting through the Panama Canal
, the Suez Canal
and Saint Lawrence Seaway
, respectively. Aframax
tankers are those with a deadweight tonnage of 80,000 to 120,000.
Naval architecture
Naval architecture is an engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures. Naval architecture involves basic and applied research, design, development, design evaluation and calculations during all stages of the life of a...
term for the largest size of ship capable of fitting through the 25 metres (82 ft)-deep Strait of Malacca
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow, stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is named after the Malacca Sultanate that ruled over the archipelago between 1414 to 1511.-Extent:...
. Because the Sunda Strait
Sunda Strait
The Sunda Strait is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean...
is even shallower at 20 metres (65.6 ft) minimum depth, a post-Malaccamax ship would need to use even longer alternate routes such as:
- Lombok StraitLombok StraitThe Lombok Strait is a strait connecting the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean, located between the islands of Bali and Lombok in Indonesia. The Gili Islands are on the Lombok side....
, Makassar StraitMakassar StraitMakassar Strait is a strait between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi in Indonesia. To the north it joins the Celebes Sea, while to the south it meets the Java Sea.The Mahakam River of Borneo empties into the strait....
, Sibutu PassageSibutu PassageSibutu Passage is a safe and deep channel some 18 miles wide that separates Borneo from the Sulu Archipelago. It has a deep sill allowing entry of deep water into the Sulu basin while connecting the Sulu Sea with the Sulawesi Sea that feeds from the Pacific Ocean by the Mindanao Current.At the...
and Mindoro StraitMindoro StraitMindoro Strait is a strait in the Philippines, separating Mindoro Island from Busuanga Island of Palawan. Located within its waters is the Apo Reef, the largest coral reef system in the Philippines.... - Ombai StraitOmbai StraitThe Ombai Strait is the strait which separates the Alor Archipelago from the islands of Wetar, Atauro, and Timor in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Wetar is part of the Maluku Province of Indonesia, the Alor Archipelago and the western part of Timor are part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara,...
, Banda SeaBanda SeaThe Banda Sea is a sea in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, technically part of the Pacific Ocean but separated from it by hundreds of islands, as well as the Halmahera and Ceram Seas...
, Lifamatola Strait between the Sula IslandsSula IslandsThe Sula Islands are a group of islands in North Maluku in Indonesia. Its three main islands are Mangole, Sanae and Taliabu, with smaller islands Lifamatola and Seho. It is administered as Kepulauan Sula Regency...
and Obi IslandsObi IslandsThe Obi Islands are a group of islands in the Indonesian province of Maluku. They lie north of Buru and Ceram....
, and Molucca SeaMolucca SeaThe Molucca Sea is located in the western Pacific Ocean, within the country of Indonesia. The region is rich in coral and has many diving sites.-Location:... - around AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
or artificially excavated new routes such as:
- deepening the Strait of Malacca, specifically at its minimum depth in the Singapore StraitSingapore StraitThe Singapore Strait is a 105-kilometer long, 16-kilometer wide strait between the Strait of Malacca in the west and the South China Sea in the east. Singapore is on the north of the channel and the Riau Islands are on the south...
- the proposed Kra Canal, which however would take much more excavation
Bulk carrier
Bulk carrier
A bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...
s and supertankers have been built to this size, and the term is chosen for very large crude carriers (VLCC). One recent design of container ship
Container ship
Container ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They form a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport.-History:...
, approaching the Malaccamax size limit, is the Maersk Triple E class
Maersk Triple E class
The Maersk Triple E class is a planned family of large, fuel-efficient container ships, designed as a successor to the Mærsk E-class. In February 2011, Maersk awarded Daewoo Shipbuilding a US$1.9 billion contract to build twenty of the ships....
, with a capacity of . Growth in demand for container transport could be leading to the creation of new terminals dedicated to such large ships.
Similar terms of Panamax
Panamax
Panamax and New Panamax are popular terms for the size limits for ships traveling through the Panama Canal. Formally, the limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority titled "Vessel Requirements"...
, Suezmax
Suezmax
Suezmax is a naval architecture term for the largest ship measurements capable of transiting the Suez Canal, and is almost exclusively used in reference to tankers. Since the canal has no locks, the only serious limiting factors are draft , and height due to the Suez Canal Bridge...
and Seawaymax
Seawaymax
The term Seawaymax refers to vessels which are the maximum size that can fit through the canal locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway.Seawaymax vessels are in length, wide, and have a draft of and a height above the waterline of . A number of lake freighters larger than this size cruise the Great...
are used for the largest ships capable of fitting through the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
, the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
and Saint Lawrence Seaway
Saint Lawrence Seaway
The Saint Lawrence Seaway , , is the common name for a system of locks, canals and channels that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the North American Great Lakes, as far as Lake Superior. Legally it extends from Montreal to Lake Erie, including the Welland Canal...
, respectively. Aframax
Aframax
An ' ship is an oil tanker smaller than and with a breadth above 32.31 m. The term is based on the Average Freight Rate Assessment tanker rate system. class tankers are largely used in the basins of the Black Sea, the North Sea, the Caribbean Sea, the China Sea and the Mediterranean...
tankers are those with a deadweight tonnage of 80,000 to 120,000.