{"id":100048,"date":"2026-10-26T08:13:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T08:13:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/?p=100048"},"modified":"2026-10-26T08:13:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T08:13:39","slug":"cargo-ship-engine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/cargo-ship-engine","title":{"rendered":"How Big Is a Cargo Ship Engine? Inside the World&#8217;s Largest Engines"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"chb-post\">\n\n<p class=\"chb-updated\">Last updated: 26 October 2026 &middot; By Steve Joury, cargo trip advisor at CargoHolidays<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"chb-lede\"><strong>A large cargo ship engine can be as tall as a three- or four-storey building and produce tens of megawatts &ndash; the biggest marine diesels reach around 80 MW, or over 100,000 horsepower.<\/strong> These slow-speed giants turn the propeller directly. Here&rsquo;s how they work.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"chb-cta-bar\">\n<a class=\"chb-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/richiedi-informazioni-su-una-crociera-con-trasporto-merci\/\">Find my voyage &rarr;<\/a>\n<a class=\"chb-btn chb-btn--ghost\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/inside-a-cargo-ship\/\">Inside a cargo ship<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"chb-keyfacts\">\n<p class=\"chb-keyfacts-title\">Key facts at a glance<\/p>\n<ul><li>Big cargo ships use <strong>slow-speed two-stroke diesel engines<\/strong>.<\/li><li>The largest produce roughly <strong>80 MW (100,000+ hp)<\/strong>.<\/li><li>They turn at only about <strong>80&ndash;100 rpm<\/strong>, driving the propeller directly.<\/li><li>A large engine can weigh <strong>over 2,000 tonnes<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Newer ships increasingly run on <strong>LNG or methanol<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<nav class=\"chb-toc\" aria-label=\"Contents\">\n<p class=\"chb-toc-title\">In this guide<\/p>\n<ol><li><a href=\"#how-big-is-a-cargo-ship-engine\">How big is a cargo ship engine?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-a-two-stroke-ship-engine-works\">How a two-stroke ship engine works<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#engine-power-by-ship-type\">Engine power by ship type<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#greener-engines\">Greener engines<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#visiting-the-engine-room-as-a-passenger\">Visiting the engine room as a passenger<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#faq\">Domande frequenti<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n\n<h2 id=\"how-big-is-a-cargo-ship-engine\">How big is a cargo ship engine?<\/h2>\n<p>The main <strong>cargo ship engine<\/strong> on a large container ship is a long, tall block of steel stretching across several decks of the engine room. The largest marine diesel engines ever built are around 13 metres tall and over 25 metres long, weigh more than 2,000 tonnes and produce roughly 80 MW. Most modern container ships use smaller engines than that, because ships now sail slower to save fuel.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"chb-figure\"><img src=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Cargo-ship-travel-cargo-cruise-with-cargoholidays113.jpg\" alt=\"Cargo ship engine &ndash; container ship under way powered by a slow-speed diesel\" title=\"Cargo ship engine &ndash; container ship under way powered by a slow-speed diesel\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption>A single slow-speed engine drives the propeller of most big cargo ships.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"how-a-two-stroke-ship-engine-works\">How a two-stroke ship engine works<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Slow speed:<\/strong> the engine turns at around 80&ndash;100 rpm, the same speed as the propeller, so there&rsquo;s no gearbox.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Huge cylinders:<\/strong> each piston is around a metre across, with 6 to 14 cylinders in a line.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Two-stroke cycle:<\/strong> every downward stroke is a power stroke, giving great efficiency.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Heavy fuel:<\/strong> traditionally burns heavy fuel oil; now often very-low-sulphur fuel, LNG or methanol.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Efficiency:<\/strong> big marine diesels are among the most efficient heat engines in the world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"engine-power-by-ship-type\">Engine power by ship type<\/h2>\n<table><thead><tr><th>Nave<\/th><th>Typical main engine power<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody>\n<tr><td>Feeder container ship<\/td><td>~8 &ndash; 20 MW<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Mid-size container ship<\/td><td>~30 &ndash; 50 MW<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Ultra-large container ship<\/td><td>~50 &ndash; 65 MW<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Capesize bulk carrier<\/td><td>~15 &ndash; 20 MW<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>VLCC tanker<\/td><td>~20 &ndash; 30 MW<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table>\n<p>Figures are approximate. Speed and power are closely linked &ndash; read <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/how-fast-do-container-ships-go\/\">how fast container ships go<\/a> e <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/how-much-fuel-does-a-container-ship-use\/\">how much fuel a container ship uses<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"chb-figure\"><img src=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cargo-ship-engine-infographic-cargoholidays.jpg\" alt=\"Cargo ship engine infographic &ndash; size and power\" title=\"Cargo ship engine infographic &ndash; size and power\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"><figcaption>Cargo ship engines at a glance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"greener-engines\">Greener engines<\/h2>\n<p>International rules on emissions are pushing shipping towards cleaner fuels. Many new ships have dual-fuel engines that can burn LNG or methanol as well as oil, and some are designed for ammonia in future. Ships also save fuel by slow steaming, better hull coatings and improved propellers.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"visiting-the-engine-room-as-a-passenger\">Visiting the engine room as a passenger<\/h2>\n<p>On a freighter voyage, the chief engineer often offers passengers a tour. You&rsquo;ll see the main engine, generators, purifiers and the control room, wearing ear defenders. It&rsquo;s hot and loud &ndash; and unforgettable. See <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/inside-a-cargo-ship\/\">inside a cargo ship<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"chb-tip\"><strong>Tip:<\/strong> Wear closed shoes and clothes you don&rsquo;t mind getting a little oily for an engine room tour.<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"chb-related\" aria-label=\"Guide correlate\">\n<h2 id=\"related-guides\">Related cargo ship travel guides<\/h2>\n<div class=\"chb-grid\"><a class=\"chb-card\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/how-much-fuel-does-a-container-ship-use\/\"><span class=\"chb-card-kicker\">Ships<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-title\">Quanto carburante consuma una nave portacontainer?<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-more\">Read guide &rarr;<\/span><\/a><a class=\"chb-card\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/how-fast-do-container-ships-go\/\"><span class=\"chb-card-kicker\">Ships<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-title\">A che velocit\u00e0 viaggiano le navi portacontainer?<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-more\">Read guide &rarr;<\/span><\/a><a class=\"chb-card\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/inside-a-cargo-ship\/\"><span class=\"chb-card-kicker\">Ships<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-title\">Inside a cargo ship<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-more\">Read guide &rarr;<\/span><\/a><a class=\"chb-card\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/ruoli-dellequipaggio-di-una-nave-da-carico\/\"><span class=\"chb-card-kicker\">Crew<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-title\">Cargo ship crew roles<\/span><span class=\"chb-card-more\">Read guide &rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<h2 id=\"faq\">Domande frequenti<\/h2>\n<div class=\"chb-faq\">\n<h3>How big is a cargo ship engine?<\/h3>\n<p>The largest marine diesels are around 13 metres tall, over 25 metres long and weigh more than 2,000 tonnes.<\/p><h3>How much horsepower does a cargo ship have?<\/h3>\n<p>Large container ships typically have tens of megawatts; the biggest engines ever built exceed 100,000 horsepower.<\/p><h3>How fast does a cargo ship engine turn?<\/h3>\n<p>Slow-speed engines turn at around 80 to 100 rpm.<\/p><h3>What fuel do cargo ships use?<\/h3>\n<p>Traditionally heavy fuel oil; today often low-sulphur fuel, with more ships using LNG or methanol.<\/p><h3>Can passengers see the engine room?<\/h3>\n<p>Often yes, on a guided tour with the engineers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"chb-booking\">\n<p class=\"chb-booking-title\">Tour a real engine room<\/p>\n<p>Sail as a passenger and see the engine room with the chief engineer.<\/p>\n<a class=\"chb-btn chb-btn--big\" href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/richiedi-informazioni-su-una-crociera-con-trasporto-merci\/\">Find my voyage &rarr;<\/a>\n<p class=\"chb-booking-small\">Free, no-obligation quote &middot; Reply within 48 hours &middot; <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/chiedi-al-capitano\/\">Chiedi al capitano<\/a> &middot; <a href=\"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/come-procedere-per-una-crociera-con-carico\/\">How booking works<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\n    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n    \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n    \"mainEntity\": [\n        {\n            \"@type\": \"Question\",\n            \"name\": \"How big is a cargo ship engine?\",\n            \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n                \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n                \"text\": \"The largest marine diesels are around 13 metres tall, over 25 metres long and weigh more than 2,000 tonnes.\"\n            }\n        },\n        {\n            \"@type\": \"Question\",\n            \"name\": \"How much horsepower does a cargo ship have?\",\n            \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n                \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n                \"text\": \"Large container ships typically have tens of megawatts; the biggest engines ever built exceed 100,000 horsepower.\"\n            }\n        },\n        {\n            \"@type\": \"Question\",\n            \"name\": \"How fast does a cargo ship 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These slow-speed giants turn the propeller directly. Here&rsquo;s [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":99998,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single3.php","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[118],"tags":[1784,1783,1588],"yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100048"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100048"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100049,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100048\/revisions\/100049"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100048"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cargoholidays.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=100048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}