SOUTH Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) has begun construction of its first largest vessel of 20 on a US$3.6 billion order from Danish shipping giant Maersk with delivery expected second half 2013.

The 18,000-TEU containership will boast a deck wide enough for four football fields at 50 metres wide, and a length of 400 metres, said a report from Korea's Chosun news agency.

Its construction start date at DSME's Okpo shipyard in South Gyeongsang province was marked in a ceremony attended by Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Mary, in Korea to coincide with the opening of the 2012 Yeosu Expo.