Time-lapse video shows construction of world's biggest ship in just 80 seconds

The world's largest ship began service this month - and this time-lapse video shows the remarkable construction of the 400m-long vessel.

The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller can hold more than 18,000 standard 20ft shipping containers.

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The 1,312ft vessel can carry 16 per cent more cargo than Maersk's biggest ship, and stands 20 storeys high.

Building began on the cargo container in June 2012, with a ceremonial steel cutting at the DSME shipyard in South Korea.

A Discovery Channel documentary followed the painstaking building of the ship, from the moment the hull was laid down in November 2012, to the day she left the Daewoo shipyards this month.

At 400 metres long, the Triple E class vessel is 76m longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower, and also nearly twice the length of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

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The Triple E class vessel was designed to cut costs through economy of scale, but it may not deliver immediate savings as only a few of the 16 ports certified to handle a vessel of its size have high enough cranes to load the ship.

As a result, the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller may not run at full capacity on its first few voyages.