A new 25,000-teu boxship design is under development in China.
The record-breaking blueprint is being worked on at Cosco's Shanghai Ship And Shipping Research Institute (SSSRI).
The work is part of a project guided by the ministry of industry and information technology.
It complies with the strategic requirements of the "Made in China 2025" push, SSSRI said.
The company added: "With the development of containerships entering the era of ultra-large vessels of 20,000 teu or more, the special science and technology project...can provide high-end equipment for the strategy of 'building a maritime power' and the One Belt, One Road strategy."
The world's biggest operational vessels are the six of 21,413-teu built by Samsung for Cosco.
