container ship

American  

[kuhn-tey-ner ship] / kənˈteɪ nər ˌʃɪp /

Or containership

noun

Transportation.

1. a large ship that transports its cargo in truck-size containers that can be transferred from ship to train to truck without unloading and reloading the contents.

   Container ships may be a common sight today, but the arrival of the first American ones in European ports made headlines in the shipping journals of the time.

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Etymology

Origin of container ship

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

DBS economists expect export growth to accelerate to 8.4% in April from 2.5% in March, noting that container ship deadweight tonnage at 20 major ports rose during the period.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz as well as tensions in the Red Sea are reshaping trade routes, with Africa becoming a hub of global container ship traffic, according to logistics and maritime sources.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

A container ship declaring itself to have a French owner has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according Marine Traffic data analysed by AFP Friday.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Prosecutors said Fadel Z also arranged for the goods to be transported to Lebanon either by container ship from ports in Hamburg or Spain or by air freight.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

My father had told us about the actual, real-life Grande Gongo, a cutting-edge container ship docked in Korea and flying the Italian flag.

From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson