MSC Pamela was built by Samsung Heavy Industries

Samsung Heavy Industries

Samsung Heavy Industries or SHI is one of the largest shipbuilders in the world and one of the "Big Three" shipbuilders of South Korea...

 and launched in 2005. It is currently one of the largest 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:...

s in the world with a capacity of — around 300 containers per crew member.

The vessel's engine, also built by Samsung Heavy Industries, consumes 248 tonnes of heavy fuel oil per day. In terms of fuel efficiency, the Pamelas consumption is equivalent to a typical family hatchback car running for a whole day on only about 2 litres of fuel—less than two thirds of a US Gallon.

The vessel measures 336.6m in length, a draft

Draft (hull)

The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...

 of 15m, with a gross tonnage of 107,200 tonnes and with a breadth of 45.6m (150ft); is capable of a maximum speed of 25.2 knots. She sails under the Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

nian flag for the Mediterranean Shipping Company

Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A.

Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. is the world's largest shipping line in terms of container vessel capacity. MSC operates 469 vessels and has a capacity of...

.

At its launch, MSC Pamela broke the world records for the number of containers that could be carried on a single vessel. As a post-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"...

 vessel, and therefore unable to pass 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...

, she operates between the major ports of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and the Far East

Far East

The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...

.