The ship with the largest carrying capacity. The largest passenger ship in the world: history and modernity

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 can't do given by nature body, helped implement the machines we built. 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 that has ever left 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 vessel is passenger transportation; Great Eastern could take up to 4000 people on board. 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 winner in the category "Most big ships in the world "was the tanker Knock Nevis. Built in 1976 in Japan, it changed names 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 meters wide with 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 low speed, a huge (more than 10 kilometers!) braking 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 history shipbuilding, but this giant with recently belongs 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 Seawise Giant, others largest ships also are 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 to be 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 (airplanes 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.

Yes, flagship Northern Fleet The Russian nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great 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. Submarine 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 ships themselves, modern shipbuilders are busy developing other sea ​​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.

Cruise ships are often referred to as cities at sea, and this description is most accurate for them. To understand how huge such ships can be, you can draw a comparison with the infamous Titanic. If it was built in our time, it would not even enter the Top 50. In this list, I will tell you about the 10 largest cruise ships in the world, all of which were built relatively recently, after 2000. Many of them also have twin brothers who are just as big.

Royal Caribbean. Oasis of the Seas

This ship weighs 225,282 tons, is 361.7 meters long and has an official capacity of 5,400 passengers in maximum luxury and comfort. The Oasis of the Seas is one of the few ships that cannot sail through the Panama Canal. It is not only too long for a channel, but also too high and wide. On board you can feel like in a huge amusement park. There are large-scale shows that are not inferior to Broadway ones, and sports fans can do anything, even rock climbing. The team serving the ship and passengers has 2,400 people.

Queen Mary II

This ship weighs 151,400 tons and is 345 meters long. The official capacity is 2640 passengers. To imagine how huge this ship is, you can put 80 large tourist buses bumper to bumper - this will be comparable in length to the Queen Mary II. A football field can be placed at each end of the ship, and there will still be room to install a whole Big Ben on the deck. At the time of construction in 2004, it was the most big ship in the world.

Disney Dream

This ship weighs 130,000 tons and is 340 meters long. The Disney Dream has a capacity of 2,500 people and is a miniature version of Disneyland at sea. There is a huge cinema and many other places for entertainment, including a water park.

Freedom of the Seas

The weight of the ship is 160,000 tons, and the length is 339 meters. The vessel accommodates 3634 passengers. It is sometimes compared to a floating water park, there are water slides, and many pools, a jacuzzi, and a wave simulator. There is also a water park for children called H2O and even a skating rink for those who like to skate.

Splendida (Splendida)

This cruise ship weighs 137,936 tons and is 338 meters long. Its capacity is 3274 passengers. The amount of space on board is simply colossal - it is one and a half million square meters, which exceeds the total amount of space, for example, the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Norwegian epic

This ship weighs 155,873 tons and is 329 meters long. Capacity - 4100 passengers. This cruise ship was launched in 2010 and is so huge that 5 lifeboats had to be removed to enter New York Harbor. On board you will also find a lot of entertainment, restaurants, attractions. There is even a 24-hour pizza delivery to the room. We have already mentioned this ship, as well as many others, in a selection of the largest ship propellers in the world.

celebrity eclipse

The weight of this vessel is 122,000 tons, and the length is 315 meters. Even if four Boeing 747s were lined up, they would still not exceed the length of this cruise ship. The ship has 19 decks, including a lawn deck where you can play croquet and bocce.

Voyager of the seas

This ship weighs 138 tons and is 311 meters long. It can accommodate 3114 passengers. This is one of the first super-giant cruise ships, it has everything you need to comfortable rest- own TV studio, skating rink, nine-hole mini golf course and much more.

carnival dream

The weight of this liner is 130,000 tons, and the length is 306 meters. Capacity - 3646 people. This ship is a real floating amusement park, there are even several cinemas with screens of different sizes.

Princess Diamond

Closes the top ten largest cruise ships ship weighing 116,000 tons and a length of 294 meters can accommodate 2670 people. Despite the tenth place, in terms of area it is several times larger than, for example, Buckingham Palace, or five times larger than the Taj Mahal. There are more than seven hundred cabins here. high class with balconies.

Once the largest ship was the Titanic. But today there are ships that are several times the size of the Titanic. In this article we will talk about the largest ship in the world.

The Titanic was a cruise ship. Everyone remembers his story. He collided with an iceberg because he was very huge and could not turn sideways in time. It seemed that such liners could not exist, they are very bulky and their fate was not comforting. But it turned out that such liners can exist, while being several times larger. To date, the largest liner is the Oasis of the Seas. Photo below:

It is indeed several times larger than the Titanic. Look at this image:

Royal Caribbean International wanted to build a ship that would be the best long years and October 28, 2009 "Oasis of the Seas" was launched. It immediately became the largest cruise ship in the world. The vessel also became the most expensive, as its price amounted to 1.24 billion dollars. The average cost of a ship's stay in the port is $230,000. And this is for a few hours of stay!

The dimensions of the liner are striking; its length is 360 meters, the width is 66 meters, and the height at the very high point was 72 meters.

The largest ship: characteristics

Correctly they say that this is not just a ship, but a whole Small town. The dimensions of this liner are five times larger than the dimensions of the Titanic. On board can be 6360 passengers and 2160 crew members. On the ship a large number of various entertainment centers. From swimming pools to real theatre. There are 4 pools on the liner, which together make up 23,000 liters of water. There are 12 thousand plants and 56 large trees on the ship. There is a park, a climbing wall, 10 spa cents. It is so huge that it is even divided into thematic zones.

The largest ship has several restaurants, its park is similar to a park in New York, so classical American music will be played there. There's a lot more to be said about the ship.

Dockwise Vanguard

Sure, the Oasis of the Seas is the largest liner, but there is also the Dockwise Vanguard, the world's largest heavy-lift ship.

On February 12, 2013, the ship made its first voyage. Dockwise Vanguard arrived at Gulf of Mexico in April 2013. The cargo he carried was 56,000 tons, but the maximum load could be 110,000 tons.

The vessel was designed by Hyundai Heavy Industries for Dockwise Shipping. It was launched in 2012. In terms of performance, it does not surpass the liner "Oasis of the Seas". Displacement 91238 tons, deadweight 117000 tons. Length 275 meters, width 79 meters, draft 9.5 meters. Maximum speed 14.4 knots, average 12.9 knots.

The way of loading onto the ship is also unique. Special compartments are filled with water and the ship is slowly but surely submerged under water. After the ship is under water, cargo is loaded onto it.

To service the ship, 60 people will be required, who are located in the hold of the ship.

The well-known "Costa Concordia", which crashed in January 2012 off the coast of the island of Giglia (Tuscany), will be transported using this ship. Let me remind you that the Costa Concordia is several times larger than the Titanic.

The largest ships in the world

For many centuries now, merchant ships and warships surf the oceans. Sometimes people build such colossus that, looking at the photographs, one can hardly imagine them. These hulks carry people, cargo, oil and gas. About the 6 largest watercraft in the world - further in the review.

1. Supertanker Knock Nevis

The longest ship ever built is the oil tanker Knock Nevis, formerly known as the Jahre Viking. Knock Nevis is also considered to be the largest man-made object in the world. Its maximum length is 458.45 meters and its displacement is 260,941 tons.

The supertanker first took to the water in 1979 when it left the Sumitomo Heavy Industries shipyard in Japan. The ship was carrying crude oil around the world and in 1988 even came under bombardment during the Iran-Iraq war. The ship caught fire coastal waters and sank, it was completely written off. After the end of the war, Jahre Viking was raised, repaired and put back into service.

To operate a supertanker, a crew of only 35 people is needed. The machine is driven by a single 9-meter screw, which makes 75 revolutions per minute. This achieves a cruising speed of 16 knots (30 km/h). To slow down, the ship needs 9 kilometers, and to turn around - 3 kilometers of water.

During its history, the ship has repeatedly changed its name, owners and port of registry. In 2009, the tanker made its last voyage to India, after which it was cut into metal.

2. Aircraft carrier USS Enterprise

The American USS Enterprise is the largest warship in the world. This is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, also known as CVA-65. This is the eighth ship with this name in the US Navy, but the largest of all. It is 342 meters long and can carry up to 4,600 troops and 90 aircraft.

Atomic power point from eight reactors, it produces a maximum power of 280,000 hp, thanks to which the ship can reach a speed of 33.6 knots (62 km / h). These characteristics look even more impressive when you consider that the USS Enterprise was commissioned in 1962. In 2017, after 55 years of service, the ship was officially decommissioned. Before that, he managed to see the Cuban crisis, the Vietnam War, the war in Iraq, where he represented the military power of the United States.

3. Gas carrier Q-Max

The largest LNG carriers in the world are Q-Max ships. Their displacement is 162,400 tons, length is 345 m, width is 55 meters. Q-max vessels hold up to 266,000 cubic meters natural gas and develop speeds up to 19.5 knots (36 km/h).

On the this moment There are 14 Q-Max gas carriers in the world, the cost of each giant is $290 million. The ships were built by Samsung Heavy Industries, Hyundai Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. The first gas carrier in the series (Moza) was completed in 2007 at the shipyard in South Korea. The ship got its name in honor of the second wife of the ruler of Qatar.

4. Container ship CSCL Globe

In November 2014, the naming ceremony for the world's largest container ship CSCL Globe was held. This is the first of five container ships ordered by the Chinese transport company CSCL in 2013. The vessel is designed for sailing on the route from Asia to Europe. The giant vessel, 400 meters long, has a displacement of 186,000 tons and can carry up to 19,100 shipping containers.

The CSCL Globe uses a 77,200 hp MAN B&W electronically controlled engine. 17.2 meters high.

5. Harmony of the Seas

For several decades in a row, Royal Caribbean International has been building new cruise ships that are larger than the previous ones. In 2016, he made his first Harmony of the Seas voyage, 362 meters long. The ship has a capacity of 2,200 crew members and 6,000 passengers who travel the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Caribbean.

Harmony of the Seas has a displacement of 225,282 tons and reaches top speed 22.6 knots (41.9 km/h).

There are many entertainment activities on board so as not to get bored for several weeks in a row: a spa, a casino, a quest room, an ice rink, a surf simulator, a theater, two climbing walls, a zip-line, swimming pools, a basketball court, a small golf course and even a water park.

The Harmony of the Seas cost an estimated billion dollars to build, making it one of the most expensive commercial ships ever built.

6. TI class supertankers

The largest oil tankers still in operation are the TI class supertankers. These are the vessels of TI Africa, TI Asia, TI Europe and TI Oceania. Mega tankers were built in South Korea in 2003 for the Greek company Hellespont.

The TI-class vessels are "only" 380 meters long - 78 meters shorter than Knock Nevis. The displacement of each of them is 234,006 tons and under full load they can reach a speed of 16.5 knots (30.5 km / h). In total, 4 ocean giants were built, which are still in operation.

And more recently, they were considered record-breaking

The key criterion for the distribution of seats was the maximum length of the ship, however, in some cases, the choice also depended on the size of the deadweight - the maximum mass that the ship can carry in order not to sink below the dangerous line (deadweight includes not only cargo, but also fuel, the mass of passengers , crew and provisions).

10. Mozah

Length: 345 m

Deadweight: 128900 t

Launched: 2007

Flag: Qatar

Status: in operation

The Mozah is the first ship in the Q-Max family of tankers designed to carry liquefied natural gas from fields near Qatar. Designed and built in South Korea. In total, 14 ships of the Q-Max type are currently in operation.

Q-Max Mozah / ©Nakilat

9. QueenMaryII

Length: 345 m

Deadweight: 19189 t

Launched: 2002

Flag: Bermuda

Status: in operation

One of the largest passenger liners in the world, the transatlantic cruise ship Queen Mary 2 is capable of transporting up to 2,620 passengers across the ocean with all the associated amenities. Designed and built by the French company Chantiers de l "Atlantique. In addition to 15 restaurants, a casino and a theater on board, Queen Mary 2 also has the first ship planetarium.

Size comparison of Queen Mary 2 and Airbus 380, bus, car and person

Queen Mary 2 / ©Tronheim Havn

8. Allure of the Seas

Length: 362 m

Deadweight: 19750 t

Launched: 2008

Flag: Bahamas

Status: in operation

The Oasis cruise ship class includes two twin ships, both of which are the largest of their type in the world. True, Allure of the Seas is still 50 millimeters longer than Oasis in the Seas, which is why it takes the eighth position. The maximum number of passengers that this liner can carry is 6296 people, and the crew is 2384. To list all the entertainment offered on board, you will need to write a separate article - this is a real floating city: from ice rink, golf courses and many shops and bars to a whole park with exotic trees and other unusual plants.

Allure of the Seas / © Daniel Christensen

7 Vale Sohar

Length: 362 m

Deadweight: 400315 t

Launched: 2012

Flag: Marshall Islands

Status: in operation

This vessel belongs to the family of the largest bulk carriers, which in turn belongs to the Brazilian mining company Vale. It is intended for transportation of ore from Brazil to the USA. A total of 30 such ships have already been built with deadweight varying between 380 and 400 thousand tons. Sohar is one of the ships of the family with the maximum deadweight.

Vale Sohar / ©Dmitry Lakhtikov

6. TIclass

Length: 380 m

Deadweight: 441585 t

Launched: 2003

Flag: Marshall Islands and Belgium

Status: 2 in operation, 2 converted to floating platforms

The TI Class double hull ships are currently the largest operating ships in the world in terms of deadweight and gross tonnage. In total, 4 identical ships were commissioned: TI Oceania, TI Africa (under the flag of the Marshall Islands) and TI Asia, TI Europe (under the flag of Belgium). In 2010, "Asia" and "Africa" ​​suffered the fate of being transformed into floating oil storage and offloading (FSO) platforms, and they now serve one of the offshore oil fields near Qatar.

TI Asia (right) / ©Naviearmatori.net/Lillo

5. Emma Maersk

Length: 397 m

Deadweight: 156907 t

Launched: 2006

Flag: Denmark

Status: in operation

The first of 8 identical container ships of the E-Class series of the Danish company Moller-Maersk Group. In 2006, when Emma Maersk first set sail, the ship was the largest operating ship in the world. Carries various cargoes between Northern Europe and Asia through the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal. This ship is accompanied by a rather bad reputation: a major fire occurred during its construction, and in 2013, as a result of damage to one of the engines, it lost control right in the Suez Canal. There was no talk of flooding, however, and management was restored. In Europe, Emma has been criticized for using sour fuel.

Emma Maersk / ©Maerskline

4 . Esso Atlantic

Length: 406.5 m

Deadweight: 516891 t

Launched: 1977

Flag: Liberia

Once the world's largest ship by deadweight, the oil supertanker Esso Atlantic was built in Japan in the mid-1970s, but made its first voyage to its intended purpose from Liberia, under the flag of which it was registered by Esso Tankers. He was mainly engaged in the transportation of oil between Europe and the countries of the Middle East. Broken up for scrap in Pakistan in 2002. Also, there was an almost identical ship Esso Pacific, however, the value of the deadweight of the Atlantic is slightly higher, so it was she who took the fourth position.

Esso Atlantic / ©Photobucket/Auke Visser

3. Pierre Guillaumat

Length: 414.2 m

Deadweight: 555051 t

Launched: 1977

Flag: France

Status: scrapped

This supertanker was the largest in terms of deadweight among the family of almost identical French Batillus ships. Built by the French company Chantiers de l "Atlantique, "lived" only 5 years and was dismantled for scrap in South Korea in 1983; the same fate befell the rest of the family (Prairial, Bellamya, Batillus). Such a short service life is explained by the fact that the commercial utility of the supertanker turned out to be minimal: it could not pass through either the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal.

Postcard with the image of Pierre Guillaumat / © Delcampe

2. Seawise Giant (Knock Nevis)

Length: 458.5 m

Deadweight: 564763 t

Launched: 1979

Flag: Sierra Leone (last registered country)

Status: scrapped

Until recently, it was the longest ship in history. The Seawise Giant supertanker was so huge that its length was compared to the tallest buildings in the world. The ship could not fit in either the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal; even the English Channel turned out to be “Giant” not in terms of tonnage. During Iran-Iraq War in 1988, the ship was severely damaged by an Iraqi air force missile while it was carrying Iranian oil to Persian Gulf. As a result, the ship sank close to the coast, but soon after the war, Norman International was able to tow it to Singapore, where the ship was repaired and re-commissioned already in 1991, already with a new optimistic name - "Happy Giant". Subsequently, the ship was turned into a floating platform, and in 2009 the "Giant" went to his last way- to the shores of India, where it was subsequently dismantled for scrap.

Length comparison of Seawise Giant (Knock Nevis) with tallest buildings peace

Jahre Viking is one of former titles ship Happy Giant / ©Didier Pin?on

1. Prelude

Length: 488 m

Deadweight: 600000 t

Launched: hull only, 2013

Flag: not yet received

Status: under construction

Prelude is the world's first floating platform not only for transportation, but also for the production and liquefaction of natural gas directly on board. Under construction by South Korean Samsung Heavy Industries for Royal Dutch Shell. Essentially a mobile gas processing plant, the Prelude is already the largest floating structure ever built by man. By 2017, when the construction of all high-tech components on the hull is completed, it is planned to carry out the first drilling of the seabed near the coast of Australia.

Comparison of the length of the Prelude and the tallest buildings

Prelude Corps / ©AFP/Getty images