A convincing economic argument fuels the liner shipping sector's adoption of unprecedented capacity ratings, with a new level soon to be reached in impending projects for newbuilds in the 9,000-TEU category, and technical work set in train for ships in the 10,000-12,500 TEU category. Experts believe that behemoths of 18,000-TEU could be in service on specific volume trades within a decade, yielding unit operating cost savings in the order of 30-percent relative to the 5,000-TEU size. The enormous infrastructural implications attached to nurturing a new generation of ultra-large container vessels seem to be less daunting now compared with even a year ago…