============================================================ BIGGEST SHIPS IN THE WORLD — DATA SNAPSHOT (2026) Source: https://giants-of-the-sea.madata.ru ============================================================ Record holders by category ------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Seawise Giant (ULCC) — LONGEST SHIP EVER BUILT Length: 458.45 m (1,504 ft) Beam: 68.8 m Deadweight: 564,763 DWT Gross tons: 260,941 GT Built: 1979 (Oppama, Japan) Scrapped: 2010 (Alang, India) Notes: Largest deadweight tonnage ever recorded. Sank during Iran-Iraq war, later refloated and renamed "Happy Giant", "Jahre Viking", then "Knock Nevis" before demolition. 2. MSC Irina (Container Ship) — LARGEST CONTAINER SHIP Length: 399.9 m Beam: 61.3 m Capacity: 24,346 TEU Gross tons: 233,000 GT Built: 2023 (Hudong-Zhonghua, China) Operator: Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Notes: Part of MSC's 24,000+ TEU fleet. Uses dual-fuel LNG-ready propulsion. 3. Legend of the Seas (Cruise Ship) — LARGEST CRUISE SHIP Length: ~365 m Beam: ~66 m Gross tons: 248,660 GT Passengers: 5,600 (double) / 7,600 (max) Crew: ~2,350 Decks: 20 Built: 2025 (Meyer Turku, Finland) Operator: Royal Caribbean International Class: Icon class Notes: Sister to Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas. Features 7 pools and the largest waterpark at sea. 4. USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) — LARGEST WARSHIP Length: 333 m Beam: 78 m (flight deck) Displacement: ~100,000 t Aircraft: 75+ fixed & rotary wing Propulsion: 2 x A1B nuclear reactors Crew: ~4,500 Built: 2017 (Newport News, USA) Operator: United States Navy Notes: Most advanced aircraft carrier ever built. Capable of 220 sorties per day, EMALS catapults, advanced arresting gear. 5. Prelude FLNG (Floating Facility) — LARGEST FLOATING OBJECT Length: 488 m Beam: 74 m Displacement: ~600,000 t (fully loaded) Gross tons: ~403,000 GT Built: 2017 (Samsung Heavy Industries, S. Korea) Operator: Shell Location: Browse Basin, Australia Notes: Not self-propelled. Extracts, liquefies, stores and offloads LNG at sea. Never entered port under its own power. 6. Pioneering Spirit (Heavy Lift / Pipelay) Length: 382 m Beam: 124 m Gross tons: ~403,342 GT Built: 2016 (Daewoo Shipbuilding, S. Korea) Operator: Allseas Notes: World's largest construction vessel. Can lift 48,000 t topsides in a single lift. Dismantled Shell Brent Delta. 7. Mozah (Q-Max LNG Carrier) Length: 345 m Beam: 53.8 m Capacity: 266,000 m³ LNG Built: 2008 (Samsung Heavy Industries) Operator: Nakilat Notes: First Q-Max vessel. Largest LNG carrier class in regular operation. 8. RMS Titanic (Historical Reference) Length: 269 m Beam: 28 m Gross tons: 46,328 GT Built: 1912 (Harland & Wolff, Belfast) Notes: Largest ship afloat when launched. Sank on maiden voyage, 15 April 1912. ============================================================ LEGEND ------------------------------------------------------------ ULCC = Ultra Large Crude Carrier TEU = Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (container) GT = Gross Tonnage (internal volume) DWT = Deadweight Tonnage (cargo + fuel + crew) LNG = Liquefied Natural Gas FLNG = Floating Liquefied Natural Gas ============================================================ (c) 2026 · giants-of-the-sea.madata.ru Data compiled from public maritime registries, classification societies, and operator disclosures. ============================================================