Danish shipping firm Maersk is going ahead with a plan to build 20 ships stretching almost a quarter of a mile long. These new ships -- which will be some of the largest in the world -- are expected to give the company a better competitive edge on the Asia to Europe routes thanks to these vessels' ability to save on fuel and operational costs.

"Global demand for seaborne containers is expected to increase by 2-4 per cent in 2013, lower on the Asia-Europe trades but supported by higher growth for imports to emerging economies," the company said.

However, Chinese and other companies are also building around 100 such vessels. Not to mention that trade flows between the two continents are cooling off, causing many shipping lines to lose money.

The challenge for Maersk no...  (More Info)