The world's largest transport ship. The largest ships in the world: list, names, photos
People are always interested in what is superior to other similar objects in its strength, size, qualities, etc. For this, it exists to mark the most outstanding objects, phenomena, people, etc.
1. To date, Knock Nevis is the most big ship in the world.
This tanker is designed to carry fuel.
Its length is almost 459 m, and its width is 24 m.
The ship's displacement is 565 thousand tons.
Initially, the ship was built for a Greek customer. But he didn't get it.
After that, it was bought at auction by a Hong Kong company.
But in 1991 it was sold again; new owner bought it for $39 million.
This supertanker is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
With its impressive parameters, the ship looks really powerful, while it is also painted in a spectacular red color. 
2. The largest cruise liner - is considered "Allure of the Seas" (the charm of the seas).
It was commissioned in 2010 and is still in operation today.
On average, the cost of such liners from 500 to 800 million dollars
Its dimensions are: length - 362 m, width - 66 m, height - 72 m, displacement - 225 thousand tons.
The liner has 17 decks, about 2700 cabins, which can accommodate about 6400 passengers.
By the way, he has a twin brother "Oasis", who is only 5 cm smaller than him, but they are the same in terms of characteristics.
It is a city in the middle of the ocean with everything you need for a great luxury vacation.
There are boutiques, restaurants, theaters, swimming pools (see:), cinemas and solariums.
There are VIP cabins, the total area of which is from 50 to 150 square meters. m.
3. This is not the largest liner, but unlike the previous ones, it is very famous - "Queen Mary 2".
It was built in France in 2003 and at that time was the largest cruise ship in the world, the dimensions of which are as follows: length - 345 meters, width - 41, height - 71 m. Capacity 2600 people
The ship also has all kinds of recreational facilities, personal care, shops, a library, a ballroom, a planetarium, 4, etc.
The ship is named after the liner "Queen Mary", which got its name in honor of the wife of the English king George 5 - Mary of Teck.
"Queen Mary" became the most big liner who committed trip around the world.
This happened in 2007. The cruise, which started and ended in the port of Fort Lauderdale (Florida), lasted 81 days.
Size comparison with: man, bus, plane and Titanic. 
4. A cruise ship Disney Dream , the length of which is 340 m. Capacity 3950 people
5. - length 333 meters.
6 Norwegian Epic – length 325.5 meters
7. - 317 m long.
8. - 311 m. With a capacity of about 3500 passengers
9. - 306 meters
10. Princess Diamond - 290 m. Passenger capacity 2600 people
These were the most big ships world that are beautiful not only from the outside, but also from the inside.
But what ships will be in 10-20 years, surf the expanses of the seas and oceans - time will tell.
Shipbuilding began to develop in ancient times. From century to century, only the shape and size of ships changed. But now the largest ships in the world do not cease to amaze people in modern ports.
Natives of the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Vikings, almost always plowed the sea. Their descendants are still considered leaders in shipbuilding.
Norway, tanker Knock Nevis, length 458 meters
The Norwegian tanker Knock Nevis has a length of 458.45 meters, a beam of 69 meters, and a loaded draft of 24.61 meters. Dimensions allow you to call it the largest water vessel in the world. Its deadweight is 564,763 tons (4.1 million barrels of oil), and the maximum speed that the tanker can reach is 13 knots, stopping distance is 10.2 kilometers. It was built in 1979 in Yokosuka, Japan, by order of a Greek shipowner. The next owner decided to enlarge the ship. As a result, it was cut and built up, additional sections were added to the hull.
Initially, the tanker ran between the US and the Middle East. But in 1986, it began to be used as a floating terminal for reloading and storing oil during the war between Iraq and Iran. In 1988, Knock Nevis was badly damaged after an attack by Iraqi aircraft.
Knock Nevis on video
After the war, the ship found shelter in Brunei and flew under the Norwegian flag. After the repair, the tanker changed its name twice, was Happy Giant and Jahre Viking.
After the passage of a law in Europe and the United States banning the use of tankers with a single-walled side (the thickness of Knock Nevis is only 3.5 centimeters), the ship was rebuilt into a "floating storage unit". And then he was returned to the original name. Now the tanker has been thrown onto the Indian coast and is awaiting disposal.
Denmark, container ship Emma Maersk, length 396.8 meters
The Danish container ship Emma Maersk is 396.84 meters long and 63.1 meters wide. Now the ship is called the world's largest container ship (it can carry up to 11 thousand containers at the same time). Emma Maersk was built in 2006, the owner of the shipbuilding company Arnold Maerks named it after his deceased wife. Later, seven more similar ships were built.
Emma Maersk can reach speeds of up to 31 knots. And about 170 thousand nautical miles (7.5 distances around the planet) pass annually, cruising between Europe and Far East through the Suez Canal (for such a large vessel, the Panama Canal is closed).
Emma Maersk on the water
The container ship was dedicated a coin of 20 crowns in Denmark.
Bahamas, cruise ship Oasisoftheseas, length 360 m
First Oasis-class cruising vessel sails Bahamas. At the time of construction, it became the largest passenger liner in the world. It was replaced only by a ship of this class, Allure of the Seas, which is 5 centimeters larger. Oasisoftheseas weighs 45 thousand tons, consists of 48 thousand parts, its length is 360 meters (by the way, the famous Titanic was 269 meters long, 53 meters high), the maximum speed is 24 knots.
Allure of the Seas was built by a Finnish shipyard for the American shipping company. The contract for the construction of the first vessel was signed in early 2006. Initially, the project was called Project Genesis, the modern name became known only in 2008.
The ship was laid down on June 19, 2007, a year later the construction dock was flooded, but the additional equipment did not stop. Tests began in June 2009 in the Baltic and ended a couple of weeks later. In October 2009, Allure of the Seas sailed to her home port in Fort Lauderdale. During the journey along the Baltic Sea, he hardly passed through the Great Belt Bridge (passage is allowed for vessels up to 65 meters). To do this, we had to retract the exhaust pipes, increase the speed to the maximum in order to increase the draft of the stern on the go. As a result, about half a meter remained from the ship to the bridge anyway.
The cruise ship was baptized on November 30, 2009 at the port of registry, and it departed for its first flight on December 5. At the same time, calls to the ports of Sint Maarten, the Bahamas and St. Thomas were announced on the cruise. Only they could take such a large vessel.
Real sea hotel
By the way, on such a huge ship you can live like on land. There is ice rink, casino, theater, night club, discotheque, jazz club, carousel pools, water park, shops and boutiques, restaurants and bars, sports clubs with basketball and volleyball courts and even a golf course. And that is not all. Passengers can rest in the shade of trees (there are about 12 thousand of them).
UK, liner Queen Mary 2, length 345 meters
One of the world's largest passenger ships was commissioned in early 2004. He was launched in France at the shipyards of Saint-Nazaire. Queen Mary 2 is 76 meters longer than the Titanic.
The liner was named after the Queen Mary, which, at one time, was named after the wife of King George V of Britain, Mary of Teck.
Built Queen Mary in Saint-Nazeren shipyard Chantiers de l'Atlantique. Ile de France, Normandy and France were assembled there.
The liner set off on its first trip on January 10, 2007 from the American Fort Lauderdale and finished there 81 days later. This trip is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as a trip around the world of the largest ship for passengers. There were almost half a thousand people on board, some of them paid an additional 100 thousand dollars for a round-the-world trip.
Interestingly, during the passage of New York, passengers on the upper deck can look the Statue of Liberty straight in the eye.
On board this ship there is everything you need for an idle life. 1310 cabins, 4 swimming pools, a huge library on the sea (800 thousand books), a helicopter pad, an Internet cafe, 6 restaurants, 12 galleys, laundries, a tennis court, a mini-golf course, the only planetarium on the sea, a theater, 2 cinemas, and same way shopping center, casino, sports club and even a ballroom.
USA, aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65), length 342 meters
This is the first aircraft carrier with a nuclear power plant. It was laid down at the end of 1957 and commissioned in 1961.
The largest warship in the world has a length of 342.3 meters. Nuclear fuel from one load is enough for 13 years of operation, and during this time the aircraft carrier is able to travel about 1 million miles.
The total cost of the aircraft carrier reached 451 million dollars. And precisely because of such high price serial construction never began, although it was originally planned to assemble 5 more Enterprise brothers.
In early 1962, the aircraft carrier made its maiden voyage. Then they were commanded by Vincent DePoe.
The first "baptism of fire" occurred during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The ship became part of the US Second Fleet and participated in the naval blockade of Cuba. Then he served for several years in the Mediterranean. In 1964, the Enterprise circumnavigated the world with three nuclear-powered ships.
In 1965, the ship joined the Seventh Fleet and sailed to Southeast Asia. He became the first ship with a nuclear control system, which took part in the hostilities (Vietnam War). The aircraft carrier set a record - exactly 165 sorties per day.
On January 14, 1969, one of the rockets self-launched on board. She hit the fuel tank, which spilled, followed by explosions of aerial bombs and erratic scattering of rockets. As a result, 27 people died, 343 were injured, 15 aircraft were destroyed. Damage was estimated at $6.4 million. In the early 1980s, the Enterprise survived the removal of the SCANFAR radar and a reactor overhaul. The aircraft carrier was decommissioned on December 1, 2012.
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1. Tanker Knock Nevis (458 m.)
Knock Nevis is a Norwegian-flagged supertanker. During its existence, this supergiant has changed several names: Seawise Giant, Happy Giant, Jahre Viking, Knock Nevis, Mont. Moreover, he managed to change not only the name, but also the dimensions, as well as the scope of its application.
In 1974, Japanese shipyards received an order to build the largest tanker in the world. And five years later, in 1979, a giant ship was launched into the water, striking in its size. But the Greek shipowner, apparently, thought this was not enough. And he ordered an increase in the size of the tanker. After that, Seawise Giant (as it was then called) was cut in half, and additional sections were added to the middle. As a result, the dimensions of the largest ship in the world took the following values: length - 458.45 meters, width - 68.86 meters, weight of the transported cargo - 564763 tons, weight of the ship itself - 81879 tons, rudder weight - 230 tons, propeller weight - 50 tons. Welded additional sections of the hull increased its deadweight (capacity) to 564 thousand 763 tons of oil, otherwise - up to 658 thousand 362 cubic meters. upper deck Knock Nevis could theoretically fit 5.5 football fields.
One of the main shortcomings of the supertanker, which predetermined its short operation, was the draft at full load - 24.61 m (more than a 7-storey building). Due to its huge size, and also because of the risk of running aground, the ship could not pass through the Suez and Panama Canals, as well as through the English Channel.
In 1986, during the Iran-Iraq war, in the Strait of Hormuz, the tanker was attacked and sunk by Iraqi Air Force aircraft with Exocet missiles. An Iraqi fighter fired an Exocet anti-ship missile at a unique tanker, which was then located almost in the Persian Gulf. It sank in shallow water near Kharg Island, due to which in August 1988 it was raised and taken for repairs at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore by its new owner, Norman International. Ship repairers replaced 3.7 thousand tons of crumpled steel.
Anders Jahre bought the salvaged tanker and towed it to Singapore for repairs. In 1989, after repairs, the tanker was renamed Happy Giant. In 1991, after another overhaul, the tanker was renamed Jahre Viking. In 2004, the tanker was bought by a Singapore company and was later used as a floating oil storage facility in the waters of Qatar, at the same time the ship was named Knock Nevis. In 2009, the ship was transported to India to Alang, where it was forcibly stranded for disposal. In 2010, the ship was scrapped.
2. Container ship Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller (400 m)
The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller is the first in a series of 20 Triple-E cargo ships ordered by Maersk Line. The giant is named after the son of the founder of the company that owns the container ship. Arnold Meersk McKinney Møller himself ran the family company from 1965 until 2003, was the richest Dane and lived to be 98 years old. But the vessel is designed for a service life of not more than 50 years.
The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller container ship is 399 meters long, 59 meters wide and 73 meters high. Its draft reaches 15.5 m. Two engines with a capacity of 43 thousand hp are mounted on the ship. every. The vessel can reach speeds up to 23 knots. If we put all the containers in a line, we get a wall of 111 km.
The vessel was built at the shipyards of the South Korean company Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in the city of Geoje (Gyeongsangnam-do province). The company is the second largest shipbuilding company in the world. The huge container ship was laid down on November 27, 2012, and has been in operation since July 2013. The cost of the vessel is 190 million dollars.
Compared to previous similar vessels, the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller has a 20% reduction in fuel consumption and a 50% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. This makes it the most efficient vessel of its class. Maximum speed - 23 knots.
3. Container ship CMA CGM Jules Verne (396 m)
Container ship "CMA CGM Jules Verne" IMO: 9454450, flag France, port of registry Marseille. Shipbuilder: Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Goeje, South Korea. Owner and operator: CMA CGM, Marseille, France.
The ship was named after science fiction writer Jules Verne (CMA CGM Jules Verne). Main characteristics: Displacement 160,000 tons, deadweight 186,470 tons. Length 396 meters, width 54 meters, draft 16 meters. The maximum speed is 22.5 knots. Maximum capacity 16020 TEU. Crew: 26, mostly Croats and Filipinos. The vessel meets the most stringent international environmental standards.
Few comparisons:
- length greater than 4 football fields, or the Eiffel Tower;
- the engine produces energy sufficient for a city with a population of 16 thousand people;
- if 16,000 TEU are put in line, its length will be 97 kilometers.
On May 3, 2013, the container ship "CMA CGM Jules Verne" left the port of Busan, South Korea, with the rotation: Busan, Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Chiwan, Yantian, Port Kelang, Suez, Malta, Marseille, Tangier , Southampton, Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Le Havre, Malta, Suez, Khor Al Fakkān, Jebel Ali, Port Kelang and Ningbo.
4. Container ship Emma Marsk (396 m)
Emma Mærsk ("Emma Mersk") is a container ship owned by the Danish company A.P. Moller-Maersk Group and built at the Lindoe shipyard in Denmark, which is part of Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd in 2006 (7 more ships of the same type were later built). At the time of construction, Emma Mærsk was the world's largest container ship. The vessel is 396.84 meters long, 63.1 meters wide and 30 meters high from keel to deck. Displacement 156,907 metric tons. Emma Mærsk can carry up to 11,000 standard 20-foot containers (more than 14 thousand according to other calculation methods). Loading container ship "Emma Maersk" is possible with twenty giant cranes at the same time. By the way, despite its gigantic size, the crew of the vessel is only 13 people.
The vessel is powered by a Wärtsilä-Sulzer 14RTFLEX96-C engine, currently the world's largest single diesel engine, weighing 2,300 tons, producing 109,000 horsepower (82 MW), consuming 6,291 liters of fuel per day. The vessel is equipped with several environmental mitigation features, including a heat recovery system and combined heat and power generation. The maximum speed of Emma Mærsk for a container ship is quite solid - 25.5 knots (more than 47 kilometers per hour).
8,000 sensors are installed in the MO and holds, the information from which is sent to the computer center located in the engine room CPU. The center fully controls the state of the vessel. The center's remote monitors are located on the bridge and in the cargo operations center. Emma Maersk carries up to 1,000 40ft refs. For fastening containers, special fasteners have been developed that ensure the speed of operation.
Environmental safety is achieved on board thanks to the heat recovery system, which helps to save up to 10% of energy. But more importantly, because the ship is three times the size of any container ship that has sailed through the Panama Canal, the number of small ships it can displace would emit far more emissions into the atmosphere than a single large ship.
5. Container ship MSC Daniela (366 m)
In mid-December 2008, the construction of a container ship, the MSC Daniela, was completed at the Samsung Heavy Industry Shipyard in Geoje. It was built by Swiss-Italian shipowner Mediterranean Shipping Company (Mediterranean Shipping Company, MSC). Its container capacity is approximately 14,000 TEU. The ship is 366 m long and 51 m wide; the draft is 15 m, and the height of the vessel above the waterline is about 53 m.
This container ship differs not only in size, but also in design. To provide better view from the navigation bridge, the superstructure on it is located in the forward part of the vessel, which also makes it possible to increase the container capacity and reduce the amount of ballast received. During the construction of the vessel, international rules for the protection of fuel tanks were observed: they are located in a protected area below the superstructure.
During the construction of the mega-container ship, extra-strong steel was used, which made it possible to reduce the thickness of the skin, thus creating a lightweight and durable vessel structure and maintaining the rigidity of the hull at an acceptable level.
6. Container ship CMA CGM Christophe Colomb (365 m)
On November 10, 2009, the latest container ship for the French shipping company CMA CGM Group was delivered from the South Korean port of the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard. The new vessel called "CMA CGM CHRISTOPHE COLOMB" has become the flagship of the international organization container shipping. Its capacity is amazing - 13,300 twenty-foot containers.
The vessel is 365 meters long and 51 meters wide. Christophe Colomb is a new generation vessel equipped with the latest environmental technologies:
- Engine with electronic injection system, allows to reduce fuel consumption and allows you to work in "ecospeed" mode, thus reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
- Fuel tanks are protected by a double hull.
“Fast Oil Recovery” is an innovative process to prevent marine pollution.
The container ship “CMA CGM CHRISTOPHE COLOMB” is also so far the only vessel equipped with the “Pre-Swirl Stator” device, which consists in the possibility of changing the angle of inclination of the propeller blades, which will significantly increase the efficiency of the vessel's movement. Along with the function, this will optimize the hydrodynamics of the vessel and consequently reduce fuel consumption.
CMA CGM also offers cruising aboard its flagship, the CMA CGM Christophe Colomb, which features a dedicated deck with spacious luxury cabins. At the service of traveling passengers there is a library, a gym, a swimming pool, a wardroom. Meals with the crew. Vessels with a capacity of 13800 TEU can accommodate up to 10 passengers in cabins from 23 to 37 sq.m.
7. Cruise ship Oasis of the seas (360 m)
Oasis of the Seas (creative translation of Oasis of the Seas) is the first cruise ship of the Oasis class. American shipping company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. signed on February 4, 2006 a contract for the construction of the first Oasis-class vessel with the Finnish shipyard Aker Finnyards (since autumn 2008 STX Europe Cruise). Sea trials in the Baltic began on June 8, 2009 and ended in the middle of the month. On October 28, 2009, the ship was handed over to the shipping company. The construction of the liner cost the customer $1.5 billion.
Its length is 361 meters, width - 66 meters, displacement - 225,000 tons. The liner is equipped with 17 decks, 2704 cabins, which can accommodate 6,360 passengers. More than 2,100 service personnel and crew work on board. It has an ice skating rink, the largest casino in the world cruise fleet, its own theater for 1,380 spectators, night and jazz clubs, a water park with swimming pools, shops, restaurants, bars and much more.
One of Oasis of the Seas' many innovations is Central Park, the world's first floating park with 12,175 plants 93 different types, including 56 trees. The Boardwalk area contains a carousel, cafes, shops, clubs and an amphitheater. Another highlight of the ship is the Rising Tide bar in the Royal Promenade, the first mobile bar on a cruise ship.
The vessel is equipped with 6 Wärtsilä engines – three 12-cylinder and three 16-cylinder. Together, its power plants generate a power of 96 MW, which allows the ship to reach speeds of up to 22.6 knots.
8. Cruise ship Queen Mary 2 (345 m)
RMS Queen Mary 2 is an ocean liner, the flagship of the British shipping company Cunard Line, owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Built and put into operation on January 12, 2004 at the shipyards of Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire in France and at the time of launching was the largest passenger ship in the world.
"Queen Mary 2" inherited the name of the ocean liner "Queen Mary", launched in 1934. That, in turn, was named after the English Queen Mary of Teck, wife of George V. On the way from Southampton to New York in August 1936, the first Mary set a speed record, overcoming Atlantic Ocean in 3 days, 20 hours 42 minutes, and took the Blue Ribbon of the Atlantic from the French Normandy. The Queen Mary record was broken only in 1952.
Main characteristics: Displacement 148528 tons, deadweight 19189 tons. Length 345 meters, width 42 meters, draft 10 meters. Travel speed 29.6 knots. The power plant is four Wartsila 16V46CR diesel engines and two gas turbines with a capacity of 157,000 horsepower. The crew and attendants are 1253 people. The liner can take 2620 passengers who will be accommodated in 1310 cabins.
9. Aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) (342.3 m)
USS Enterprise (CVN-65) is a US aircraft carrier. The first aircraft carrier with a nuclear power plant. Commissioned in 1961. The first and only ship of its project, despite five more ships of the series planned for construction. The total cost of the Enterprise reached $451 million, which was one of the reasons why the construction of a series of ships was abandoned.
It has the largest (342.3 meters) length among warships in the world. One load of nuclear fuel is enough for 13 years of service, during which time the ship can travel up to 1 million miles. The total ammunition of weapons is 2520 tons.
The aircraft carrier has become a symbol of US naval power and has taken part in almost all wars and conflicts that the United States has been involved in. In 1962, during the Caribbean crisis, he participated in the naval blockade of Cuba. From the end of 1965 to the beginning of 1973 operated six times off the coast of North Vietnam, taking an active part in the hostilities. In January 1968 and April 1969 he was off the coast of North Korea during the aggravation of relations with that country. In December 1971, during the Bangladesh War of Independence, he operated in the Bay of Bengal, blockading the Indian fleet. In January-February 1973, after the end of the Vietnam War, he participated in raids on targets in Laos. In 1975, he participated in the evacuation of American citizens from South Vietnam. In 1988, he operated in the Persian Gulf, guarding Kuwaiti tankers during the so-called. "tanker war". He also participated in air strikes on the Iranian fleet. In 1998, he participated in Operation Desert Fox, a missile attack on Iraq. In 2001-2002, 2006 he participated in the war against Afghanistan. In 2003-2004, 2006 he participated in the aggression against Iraq.
On account of the Enterprise there were many other world records:
- the first nuclear aircraft carrier in the 60s held the title of the largest ship (total weight and capacity of the Enterprise is 93 thousand tons),
- the first phased array radar (SCANFAR) appeared on the Enterprise,
- the first ship with purely aviation weapons (cost overruns forced the designers to abandon any self-defense systems, only in 1967 the first Sea Sparrow air defense systems were installed on the ship)
- the largest number of nuclear reactors is installed on board the Enterprise
- as many as 8 pieces (a dubious achievement, speaking only about the imperfection of nuclear technology in the 50s),
- the first ship with a nuclear power plant to take part in hostilities,
- in December 1969, during the Vietnam War, aircraft from the aircraft carrier Enterprise set a hitherto unbroken record by completing 178 sorties in a day,
- the longest service in the current fleet (51 years),
- Finally, the Enterprise is the first of the giant nuclear aircraft carriers to go through the recycling process.
On November 4, 2012, the aircraft carrier completed its last 8-month voyage. In total, the aircraft carrier went to sea 25 times. Decommissioned 1 December 2012.
10. Cruise ship Norwegian Epic (329 m)
Norwegian Epic is an F3 class cruise ship owned by Norwegian Epic Ltd. and operated by the American shipping company Norwegian Cruise Line was built in 2010 at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard of STX Europe in France in Saint-Nazaire and cruises in the Mediterranean in the summer, in the winter it will be operated between the islands of the Caribbean.
Main characteristics: Displacement 155873 tons, deadweight 10850 tons. Length 329 meters, width 40 meters, draft 9.2 meters. Average speed 22.5 knots. The vessel can accommodate 4,200 passengers, which will be served by 1,730 crew members. The cruise ship has 15 passenger decks with 2,100 cabins. The ship has 16 elevators, as well as stabilizers.
The ship's engine room occupies a third of the entire space, and in some places has five floors. The engine room houses six diesel engines. This power plant generates 108,000 horsepower. Two hundred-ton propeller shafts connect the units to the propellers, each of which is 6 m in diameter.
Norwegian Cruise Line spent $1.2 billion to build it, which is the cost of six Airbuses.
Huge ships carry 90% of all cargo that people deliver between countries across the seas and oceans. The importance of maritime transport has not diminished for many centuries. Even aviation could not shake the hegemon of cargo transportation. Some ships are so big that it is difficult to believe in their reality. However, not all of them are created exclusively for the transport of goods.
1. Planet Solar
People are desperately trying to convert absolutely every form of known transport to solar energy, and ships are no exception. Let Planet Solar be just a bold experiment, but this ship is still the largest among such ships. Deck length - 31 meters. Solar panels are capable of generating 103.4 kW of energy. Vessel speed - 8 knots.
2. Club Med 2
The biggest sailing ship today was built in 1992 in France. The length of the vessel is 194 meters. Carrying capacity - 14,983 tons. Serves the ship 214 crew members. At the same time, the ship can take another 386 passengers. The speed of the sailboat reaches 10-15 knots. Seven sails are hoisted on five masts. Used as a cruise ship.
3. SSV-33 "Ural"
The reconnaissance ship "Ural" with a nuclear power plant was built in the USSR during the Cold War. It was intended to be on duty in the largest ocean on the planet. The length of the Ural is 265 meters. The crew was 950 people. Maximum speed - 21.6 knots. Due to technical features, the ship could not enter the port for 3 months.
4 USS Enterprise
The largest warship in the history of the fleet. USS Enterprise is 342 meters long. Up to 4,600 military personnel serve on the ship. The ship takes on board 2,500 tons of weapons, and its cruising speed reaches 33.6 knots. And it is also the longest-serving ship among all existing US aircraft carriers. In 2018, the ship was finally declared obsolete and retired from service.
5. RMS Queen Mary 2
One of the largest transatlantic liners in the world this moment. The hull length is 345 meters. The ship was built in 2004 and named after the first Queen Mary, who left the shipyard in 1936. Despite the fact that the ship is a cruise ship, it has been awarded the prefix RMS ("Royal Mail Vessel"), which only the fastest ships receive. There can be 2,620 passengers on board, and 1,253 crew members serve it.
6.Q-Max
The largest gas carrier on the planet. The length of the ship's hull is 345 meters. The total capacity of the vessel reaches 267,000 m3. In this case, the ship accelerates to 19.5 knots. Ships belong to Qatar. There are 14 of these in total. The gas carriers were built by Samsung, Hyundai and Daewoo.
7. Oasis of the Seas
One of the three largest passenger ships in the world. There are two more similar ones - Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas. All of them were created between 2009 and 2015 and are owned by Royal Caribbean. The length of the side of the liners is 360 meters. The capacity of each is 6,296 passengers and 2,394 crew members. Moreover, it is also the fastest passenger liners. The speed can reach 22.6 knots.
The family of the largest oil tankers. The length of TI is 380 meters. The ships were designed and built by the Hellespont Group. There are currently four such tankers. One such ship cost 90 million US dollars. The carrying capacity of the tanker is 440,000 tons. The maximum speed is 18 knots.
9.CSCL Globe
The largest container ship belongs to the Maersk Triple E class. This ship was launched in 2014. There are five of them (today). At the same time, a container ship capacity record of 19,000 TEU was set. The length of the ship is 400 meters. In total, it is planned to create about 20 such ships over the next few years.
10. Knock Nevis
The longest ship in the history of shipbuilding. The length of its stern is 458.45 meters. This ship is also the largest man-made object that can move. It is curious that only 35 people served the ship. Maximum speed - 19 knots. Knock Nevis was built in Japan in 1979. The ship was dismantled in 2009.
Want to see even more curious ships? How about taking a look at this yacht here, for a long time.
Since ancient times, the ability to swim like a fish has been no less desirable for a person than the ability to fly like a bird. What the body given by nature cannot do, the machines we have built have helped to accomplish. From the fragile boats of antiquity, mankind has grown to the creation of huge cities on the water. The largest of them, even a modern person accustomed to the achievements of progress, amaze with a combination of power and beauty.
The largest ships in the world: selection criteria
To name the most-most huge ship, there are at least two criteria: dimensions (length and width) and displacement (in fact, this is the volume of the underwater part of the ship).
In addition, to determine the winner in individual categories, his ability to perform his main task is of decisive importance. For a passenger ship, this is the number of passengers that it can take on board and the number of cabins, for a bulk carrier or tanker, the weight of the cargo carried, for a container ship, the number of containers.
Sailboats and steamships
Before moving on to modern record holders, let's remember their predecessors, those who plowed the seas driven by the power of wind and steam.
The largest sailing ship ever to float off the stocks is the French barque France II. The ship had a displacement of almost 11 tons and a length of 146 meters. For only ten years - from 1912 to 1922 - they carried out regular cargo transportation, until the sailboat that ran aground off the coast of New Caledonia was abandoned by the owners. The ship was finally destroyed in 1944 during a bombardment.
The greatest steamship in history is the Great Eastern launched in 1857. Its length is 211 meters, and its displacement is 22.5 thousand tons. The ship was propelled by two wheels and one propeller, but could also sail. The main purpose of the ship is Passenger Transportation, on board the Great Eastern could take up to 4000 people. Unfortunately, the age of coal and steam was not kind to such large-scale projects - the operation of Great Eastern turned out to be unprofitable and was discontinued for economic reasons.
Absolute record holder
For many years, the tanker Knock Nevis was the winner in the nomination "The largest ships in the world". Erected in 1976 in Japan, it changed its name many times and underwent a major restructuring. The champion acquired the final dimensions in 1981 (under the name Seawise Giant): 458.5 meters long, 68 wide with a displacement of 565 thousand tons.
A huge tanker is a piece of equipment that is not so easy to find a use for. Due to its size, the ship had a low speed, a huge (more than 10 kilometers!) stopping distance, could not pass through strategic navigable straits and could only moor in a few ports around the world.
You can see a photo of the largest ship on any site dedicated to the history of shipbuilding, but this giant has recently belonged to the past, just like sailboats and steamships. In 2010, the ship, which had not been used for six years, was cut into scrap metal.
Workaholic Giants
Like the Seawise Giant, the other largest ships are also cargo ships: tankers, bulk carriers, container ships.
The longest ship currently in use (397 meters) is the container ship Emma Maersk. According to various sources, it is possible to lift from 11 to 14 thousand standard containers without its board. Since the designers were tasked with ensuring the passage of Emma Maersk through the Suez and Panama canals, the width and draft of the ship were set quite moderate. Therefore, the displacement of such a giant is "only" 157 thousand tons.
And the largest ships in the world in terms of displacement are four Hellespont supertankers. Although the length of each of them is 17 meters less than that of the leader among container ships, but the displacement is one and a half times greater - 234 thousand tons.
The ore carriers of the Brazilian company Vale are not too inferior to them. The largest of them - Vale Sohar - has a displacement of about 200 thousand tons and a length of 360 meters. The maximum load that this giant is able to carry is 400 thousand tons.
Cruise beauties
Although passenger ships are not as large as cargo ships, they make an indelible impression. A cruise liner is not a means of transportation, but a luxury vacation spot. The large size of the ship here serves not so much to accommodate as many passengers as possible on board, but to create all conceivable comfort that would satisfy the most demanding audience.
The largest passenger ships are many times larger than the Titanic that once seemed incredible. A pair of twin liners Allure of the Seas and Oasis in the Seas are unmatched in size. 362 meters in length and 225 thousand tons of displacement - figures comparable to the largest cargo ships. Each of the liners can comfortably accommodate 6,400 passengers. In addition, 2,100 personnel are serving on board (this is against several dozen sailors serving tankers and bulk carriers).
Allure of the Seas or Oasis in the Seas offers shops, casinos, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, a fitness center, volleyball and basketball courts, a sauna and swimming pools. There is even a park with real trees and grass.
Sea storm
You can not ignore the largest warships. These are now aircraft carriers. And this is understandable: no matter how the aircraft engineers work to reduce the take-off run of aircraft, the “winged sailors” still need a rather big track for the start.
In the period before World War II, the most powerful maritime powers built especially large warships - battleships. The largest of them is the flagship of the Japanese fleet "Yamato". 263 meters long, 40 wide, with a crew of 2,500 sailors, the battleship seemed simply invulnerable. However, the ship, launched in 1940, was sunk shortly before the surrender of Japan.
The development of anti-submarine weapons made such ships too convenient a target. The ships laid down in those years were still in service (for example, the American battleships of the Iowa project), but the main stake in the post-war period was placed on aircraft carriers.
The largest naval ship of all time was the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. It is 342 meters long and 78 meters wide. The ship carried up to 90 aircraft(aircraft and helicopters), which served 1800 people. The total crew is 3,000 sailors. After serving for more than half a century, in 2012 the Enterprise was withdrawn from service with the United States Navy. Now its place has been taken by Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, slightly inferior in size to their predecessor - the length of the largest modern aircraft-carrying ships is 333 meters.
The largest ships in Russia
Although Russian-made ships do not occupy the top positions in the ratings of the largest ships in the world, some models are unrivaled in their categories.
Thus, the flagship of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation, the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, is the world's largest non-aircraft-carrying combat strike ship. Cruiser dimensions: 251 meters - length, 28 meters - width, displacement - 28 thousand tons. Main task: counteracting enemy aircraft carrier formations.
There is another record holder in the service of the Russian Navy - the Akula submarine (Project 941). The length of the boat is 173 meters, the underwater displacement is 48 thousand tons, the crew is 160 people. The submarine is equipped with a nuclear reactor and diesel power plants. The main weapons are intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.
Of the civilian ships, it is necessary to mention the largest nuclear-powered icebreaker "50 Years of Victory", which left the stocks in 1993. Perhaps, knowing what the largest ships in the world are, its 160 meters in length will seem frivolous, but still this ship has no equal in its class.
Giant in the shipyard
In addition to the actual ships, modern shipbuilders are busy developing other marine giants - floating platforms. Strikingly large structures can be used for various purposes, from mining to launching spacecraft.
Right now, the shipyards of the South Korean Samsung Heavy Industries are completing the Prelude floating platform, which the customer, Royal Dutch Shell, plans to use for the extraction, liquefaction and transportation of natural gas. In 2013, the Prelude hull was launched. Its dimensions are more impressive than the largest ships in the world can boast. A photo of the unfinished giant has become available to everyone interested.
The vessel is 488 meters long, 78 meters wide, and has a displacement of 600,000 tons. It is assumed that the platform will move with the help of tugs. Only the absence of its own running gear does not allow Prelude to be called a champion among giant ships. The platform is still not a ship.
