The fluctuation of fuel price levels, along with the continuous endeavour of the shipping industry for economic growth and profits has led the shipbuilding industry to explore new designs for various types of merchant ships. Moreover, the introduction of new regulations by the IMO has added further constraints to the ship design process. In this respect, proper use of modern CAD/CAE systems extends the design space, while generating competitive designs in short lead time. This study deals with the parametric design and holistic optimisation of a post-panamax containership. The methodology includes a complete parametric model of a containership’s external and internal geometry, as well as the development and coding of all tools required for the determination of both the design constraints and the efficiency indicators, which are used for evaluating the parametrically generated designs. The second-generation intact stability criteria are taken into consideration in the optimisation process. The set-up multi-objective optimisation problem is solved by use of the genetic algorithms and clear Pareto fronts are generated.