"Normally ships speed up to 15 or 20 knots when crossing this area but we couldn't go faster than five knots, " said Domjan.

CNN: $16m solar boat sails into record books

They believe that, given the demands of a globalised, Internet-speed economy, container ships might soon be whizzing like speedboats.

ECONOMIST: Fast container ships

The ships can travel 2, 000 miles in less than 48 hours, twice the speed of the Pentagon's regular cargo ships, and carry enough equipment to support about 5, 000 soldiers.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Rebasing -- and Reequipping -- for Transformation