Photographer
Alastair Philip Wiper
IMAGINE standing in a space big enough to hold more than 18,000 containers full of consumer goods.
Advertisement
鈥淢y strongest memory was the scale,鈥� says photographer Alastair Philip Wiper of his experience in 2014 shooting the construction of a Maersk Triple E, then the world鈥檚 biggest container ship. 鈥淭he shipyard was the size of a small city. Huge ship sections were moved on cranes, welded and painted by people who looked tiny.鈥�
This image of a cross-section of the ship features in his latest book, , and it is part of the Forms of Industry exhibition at London鈥檚 until 16 May.
Wiper鈥檚 work explores the aesthetics of industrial and scientific sites. This shot shows the charm he found in the unfinished ship. 鈥淭here are a lot of things you can say are ugly and beautiful at the same time,鈥� he writes in Unintended Beauty.
The ship also made waves environmentally. The Triple E label refers to its design principles: economy of scale, energy efficiency and environmental improvement. Shipping accounts for more than 90 per cent of world trade, but is also a huge polluter. In 2015, it caused 2.6 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions.
The craft has a new, slow-steaming engine that optimises speed to 30 kilometres per hour, which can lower fuel consumption and cut emissions. Its waste heat recovery system uses exhaust gas to run the onboard generator, while the redesigned hull helps the ship carry more containers.
