However the Danish shipowner has never owned up to the true capacity of its ships. Even though it has officially acknowledged 11,000 TEUs this time, experts say Emma Maersk's capacity is nearer 13,500 TEUs and possible greater. Ten more such ships are being built for Maersk up to 2009.

The existing turning basin at Bremerhaven Container Terminal is only 50m bigger than Emma Maersk and Bremenports officials said using that dimension would be a close-run thing. A bigger turning basin had been due for completion by now, itself in record time, but has been delayed by objections to the project from local communities.

Provisional approval has now been granted to expand and deepen the turning basin inside just a few weeks so that Emma Maersk can turn without problems when it arrives. 'The project demonstrates that we are ready to do all that is necessary to guarantee problem free berthing to the world's biggest container ships', said Bremenports MD Jurgen Holtermann.

In a race against time, the hopper dredger Geopotes 14 is now at work and will dredge an estimated 2.2 million cubic m of sand and a basin with a radius of 600m. The turning basin will be deepened to 13.6m LAT in a further construction phase up to the start of December.