Maritime glossary · Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit
TEU
The standard unit of container ship capacity, equal to one twenty-foot container.
Definition
TEU is the measure of how many standard containers a ship can carry. One TEU is a single twenty-foot box; a forty-foot container counts as two TEU (sometimes called an FEU). Container ships are quoted by TEU rather than DWT because cargo capacity, not cargo weight, is the binding commercial limit. The largest container ships in service exceed 24,000 TEU. Nominal TEU is the theoretical slot count; the figure actually loaded depends on weight distribution and reefer plug capacity.
Worked example
A Neo-Panamax container ship of around 14,000 TEU fits the expanded Panama Canal locks. A 24,000 TEU giant is restricted to the Asia to Europe trade and the largest deepwater terminals.
How Vessel Hunter uses TEU
Container ships in Vessel Hunter carry their TEU capacity next to DWT and GT, so liner and terminal teams size a vessel the way the trade actually quotes it.
Related terms
- Container Ship
A ship built to carry standardised intermodal containers stacked in cell guides and on deck.
- DWTDeadweight Tonnage
The maximum weight in tonnes a vessel can carry (cargo, fuel, ballast, crew, stores) without exceeding its load line.
- GTGross Tonnage
A unitless measure of a vessel’s total enclosed volume, used for port dues, pilotage fees, and SOLAS thresholds.
- Neo-PanamaxNew Panamax
A vessel sized to the expanded Panama Canal locks opened in 2016, with a beam up to 49 metres.
The bigger picture
TEU is one piece of the commercial maritime picture Vessel Hunter pulls together for shipyards, suppliers, service providers, and port agents. Every vessel record bundles AIS, ownership, inspections, dry-dock history, casualty record, classification status, and a verified contact for the operator decision-maker behind the ship, so the team that reaches out first wins the work.
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