Ever since the day that ancient man carved his first boat from a log, river and sea vessels have only grown in size. With each new century, ships increased in tonnage and displacement. The largest ships were built in the industrial age. Nowadays some merchant and passenger ships are so large that they might become the basis for a small country with its own facilities and population.
Vale Sohar
One of the largest dry cargo ships ever built by humans. The vessel is 362 meters long with a deadweight of 400,300 tons. Among ore shipping ships, the Vale Sohar is the absolute record holder at all. For the most part of her career, the dry cargo ship has been transporting iron ore from Belgium to the USA.
TI Class
The absolute record holder in gross tonnage among 380-meter-long tankers with a deadweight of 441,500 tons. A total of four TI Class ships were built. Only two remain in service at the moment. A couple more have been converted by the owners into floating platforms.
Emma Maersk
In 2006, the first of eight Emma Maersk was the largest container ship on the planet. All ships belong to a large Danish shipping company and are engaged in shipping through the Suez Canal. The Emma Maersk is also a regular guest on anti-rating environmental ratings. The vessel is 397 meters long. Deadweight – 156,900 tons.
Esso Atlantic
Launched in 1977, the 406.5 m long tanker with a deadweight of 516,800 tons has for decades been the largest vessel on the planet Earth. Since 1997, the ship has been used to transport oil from the Middle East to Africa.
Pierre Guillaumat
The vessel is 414.2 meters long with a deadweight of 555 thousand tons, built in 1983. For a long time, this tanker remained one of the largest in the world and was even recognized as the largest French vessel.
Seawise Giant
Until recently, this vessel remains the longest vessel in the history of 458.5 meters. At the same time, the tanker had a deadweight of 564.7 thousand tons. The Seawise Giant was launched in 1979. It was so big that it could not pass neither through Panama nor Suez Canals. In 2009, the ship found its last resting place at a salvage yard in India.
Prelude
The first ever floating platform for extracting, processing and transporting liquefied gas. The vessel is 488 meters long and has a deadweight of over 600,000 tons. So far, only the hull has been launched. When the Prelude is completed, the platform will operate in the Pacific Ocean.