Top 10 Biggest and Largest Ships in the World

A wide range of ships is present in the world including cruise ships, sailing vessels, naval ships, container ships, sailing yachts, passenger ships, and warships. These longest and biggest ships belonged to specified categories having differences from each other concerning their size, material, design, capacity, overall length, and gross tonnage (GT).

Warships are quite different from all other ships regarding their configuration and formation because these have been used in war zones but when it comes to volume and length sailing vessels and container ships are considered as longest and biggest ships. Several of the largest ships are running on the water to carry heavy masses, here we have enlisted the top ten largest ships in the world which are given below:

Table of Contents

10: TI class (380m)

The TI Class supertanker ships are the four largest ships in the world regarding their displacement, deadweight tonnage, gross tonnage, and total volume while the length of the TI class is approximately 380m.

The Ultra Large Crude Carrier was built in 2003 and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering is one of its builders, the GT of TI class is 234,006 and its total capacity is nearly 3,166,353 barrels. The TI class supertanker can have a deadweight tonnage of 441,585 having floating speed of 16.5 knots along with displacement of 509,484 long tons.

9: Pioneering Spirit (382m)

The largest and biggest pipelay vessel Pioneering Spirit was built for the Allseas Company by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co and Geoje in 2013. Pioneering Spirit was the one of largest vessels ever constructed concerning its gross tonnage of 403,342 GT and its breadth which is 123.75 m.

The ship has a total length of 382 m making it the longest ship in the world which can float with the speed of 4 knots, the crane vessel Pioneering Spirit was built for US$1.7 billion.

8: CSCL Globe (399.67m)

One of the longest ship MV CSCL Globe is a container ship that has been owned and operated by China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL). CSCL Globe is one of five ships projected for Asia-Europe trade routes; the container ship has a total of 187,541 GT, 400 m length, 22.0 knots speed, and a maximum capacity of 19,100 twenty-foot containers. Hyundai Heavy Industries built the largest ship in the world CSCL Globe at its launch time at their shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea.

7: Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller (400m)

The lead ship of Maersk’s Triple E class Mc-Kinney Møller is one of the largest container vessels having a length of 400m and a total capacity of 18,270 TEU. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering has constructed the biggest ship which has a gross tonnage of 194,849 GT and a deadweight tonnage of 194,153 DWT while the floating speed of the container ship is nearly 23 knots.

Launched in February 2013 Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller entered into service in July 2013 and became the longest ship in service worldwide.

6: Magleby Maersk (400m)

Built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering the largest container ship Magleby Maersk was launched in 2014 having a maximum capacity of 18,270 twenty-foot containers. The largest Maersk Triple E-Class ship is owned and operated by the Danish shipowner Ap Moller Maersk which has been considered the largest container shipping operator all over the world.

The biggest vessel’s general characteristics include gross tonnage of 194,849, deadweight tonnage of 194,417, length of 400m, beam of 59 m, and ability to float with a speed of 22.0 knots.

5: Barzan (400m)

Barzan is another largest and longest container ship in the world that has a total length of 400m and was completed in 2015 built by Hyundai Samho. The vessel has 195,636 GT, 199,744 DWT, displacement 195,636, and a beam of 58.6 m while the world’s biggest ship has a capacity of 18,800 TEU that has a floating speed of up to 22.8 knots. Barzan was owned and operated by United Arab Shipping Company which is currently in service after its completion early this year.

4: Esso Atlantic (406.57m)

Esso Atlantic class ships the Esso Atlantic and Esso Pacific were built by Hitachi Zosen Corporation Ariake and owned by Esso Tankers Inc. Liberia. The gross tonnage of the biggest ships in the world is nearly 259,532 GT, displacement of 73,418 tons, and 590,308 tons full load which can float with a speed of 15.5 knots. The total length of Esso Atlantic ships is 406.57m making it the largest ship in the world which was launched in 1977 and scrapped in 2002 after use of twenty-five years.

3: Batillus class (414.22m)

The Batillus-class supertanker is among the largest ships in the world having a total length of 414.22m, the four ships were built in France in 1976 and scrapped in 2003 after 27 years of service. Operated by Société Maritime Shell France Seawise Giant is the longest ship in the world which has 275,268 GT and 555,000 DWT that can float with the speed of 16 knots. The tanker was constructed in the Bassin C dock of the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyards at Saint Nazaire.

2: Seawise Giant (458.46m)

The longest ship Seawise Giant was a ULCC supertanker which was constructed by Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd, the Seawise Giant was owned by several including Amber Development, First Olsen Tankers Pte, and Loki Stream AS.

Seawise Giant has the greatest tonnage capacity of 260,941 GT and 564,763 DWT and is considered one of the heaviest ships of any kind in the world. Seawise Giant has a total speed of 16 knots having a length of 458.46m becoming one of the largest ships in the world.

1: Prelude (488m)

The largest offshore facility and the world’s first floating liquefied natural gas plant Prelude was constructed by Samsung Heavy Industries at Geoje Shipyard in South Korea. Launched in December 2013 the total estimated cost of Prelude is approximately US$10 billion which has been owned by Shell Australia.

The FLNG has a gross tonnage of 300,000 GT, a length of 488 m, and a height of 105m, the Prelude is still under construction tagged as one of the largest and longest ships in the world.