Since ancient times, people have been curious to cross seas and oceans to find out what lies beyond them, but for a long time they were deprived of the necessary means to do so.
As humanity evolved and industry became more advanced, ships in turn grew in size.
Nowadays, large shipyards build not only cruise ships, but also especially oil or military ships that reach the most diverse corners of the world.
Prelude FLNG – 488 meters
Prelude FLNG is the world's first floating natural gas platform. It is 488 m long, 74 m wide and made of over 260,000 tonnes of steel.
The ship is owned by Shell. It was launched in December 2013 after less than a year of construction! The price of the ship, according to analysts, ranged from 10.8 to 12.6 billion dollars.
Knock Nevis – 458 meters
The Knock Nevis oil carrier was the largest ship in the world until the Prelude FLNG. Built in 1979 by a Japanese company, the ship had a gross weight of 657,019 tons when fully loaded, and its size did not allow it to pass through the English, Suez or Panama Canals.
The ship was sunk during the Iran-Iraq war but was later raised and sold to Indian shipbreaking companies.
Batillus – 414 meters
By the end of the 70s, the French had built 4 oil carriers, which they called Batillus. Each of them was 414 meters long and was capable of carrying 555,000 tons of oil, and the ship's weight reached 275,000 tons.
Batillus is considered the heaviest ship in the world. The last Batillus was decommissioned in 2003, almost three decades after construction began.
Esso Atlantic and Esso Pacific – 406 meters
Ironically, Liberia, a West African country facing civil war, had the opportunity to build two of the largest ships in the world.
Named Esso Atlantic and Esso Pacific, each was 406 metres long and could carry 516,000 tonnes of oil. Both ships were sold to Pakistan in 2002 for dismantling and later sold for scrap.
CSCL Globe – 400 meters
After three oil tankers, we approach a ship with cargo containers. We are talking about the 400-meter ship CSCL Globe, built in 2014 by South Koreans from Hyundai for a company from Saudi Arabia.
It is capable of carrying almost 200,000 tons of containers, which is only slightly more than its own weight of 195,000 tons.
OOCL Hong Kong – 399.87 meters
OOCL Hong Kong is owned by Orient Overseas Container Line and is the first ship of its kind capable of carrying 21,413 TEU (1 TEU is equivalent to one 20-foot container, editor's note). The ship was built by Samsung Heavy Industries.
Length 399.87 m, width 58.8. It is the largest vessel of its type ever built and was commissioned in 2017.
Pioneering Spirit – 382 meters
$1.7 billion is the cost of building the 382-meter-long crane vessel Pioneering Spirit. The ship specializes in transporting heavy cargo and is currently the heaviest ship in the world, weighing 403,000 tons.
To move such a ship, 8 diesel engines with 20 cylinders and a power of 11,200 W each are used, plus a 9-cylinder engine with a power of 5,000 W.
TI Asia – 380 meters
The short name comes from the company that operates the four ships, Tankers International. There are four identical ships that are used to transport oil, and they are the ships with the largest amount of cargo taken on board among those currently in use: 441,000 tons.
The ships were built in 2002-2003 by Daewoo in South Korea, with two of them purchased by a Dutch company.
Wonder of the Seas – 363 meters
Wonder of the Seas is a cruise ship and is often compared to the most famous ship in the world - the Titanic. The length of the new ship is 362 meters, and the width is 64 meters, while the ship that sank a hundred years ago is 269.1 meters long and 28.2 meters wide.
This will ensure that Wonder of the Seas offers extraordinary space and luxury. The number of people who can get on board is also incomparable.
Wonder of the Seas can accommodate up to 6,988 passengers served by 2,300 crew members, while the Titanic had a capacity of 2,435 passengers and 892 crew members.
Wonder of the Seas passengers will be able to try both the ice rink and the Ultimate Abyss water slide, which is the tallest at sea. There will also be a rock climbing wall and a surf simulator. There is also a concert hall, several restaurants and nightclubs.
Valemax (MV Vale Rio de Janeiro, MS Vale Brasil, Vale Italia) – 362 meters
In 2011, multiple companies from South Korea and China built an impressive fleet of 35 Valemax vessels for Brazilian mining company Vale.
The ships are used to transport iron ore from Brazilian mines to ports in Asia and Europe. Each ship is 362 metres long and has a capacity of 400,000 tonnes of iron ore.
Earlier we wrote about where the smallest church in the world is located.
