The ships are 8,375 metres in length - over 3 kilometres longer than a Kororra class battleship - and follow typical civilian practice of having the midspace drive shunts, power, and fuel systems in the bow whilst the bulk of the vessel is in the rear. This puts the center of mass far aft of the engines, making the design inherently stable and simplifying the flight control systems considerably.
The Maratona has limited sensors, no armament, no shields, and no armour. Her systems are designed for a high degree of automation and a high degree of reliability under long term use; as a result the ship has a small crew, typically twenty eight people though if needed she can be handled by sixteen.
The Maratona has no capability to load or unload cargo containers from her own resources, and is dependent entirely on suitable equipped port facilities in that respect.
The Maratona's speed is somewhat dependent on her cargo load. The containers she is designed for are rated for up to 30,000 kg each, but more typically average 15,000 kg. With a typical load of about 390 million tons the ships cruise at 28 kc, which is quite fast for a cargo vessel. At full load this drops to 24 kc. The ships have an endurance of 40 days at their cruise speed, giving them a range of around 3,000 light years.
