Today we will talk about the largest ships on the planet: passenger, military, cargo, industrial. Some of them are so large that they cannot enter the canals and straits, and most of the world's ports are closed to them.
We have selected seven of the most amazing giant ships. Five of them have recently been set sail, two have already been written off, and you can even buy a ticket for one. Each of them is a champion in their category.
The longest ship on earth
Length - 488 m, width - 74 m, deadweight - 600,000 tons. Launched in 2013.
The largest ship on the planet and the largest floating structure ever built by man is the Prelude FLING. It is equal in length to the famous Wailing Wall in Israel. On board could accommodate five full-size football fields or 175 Olympic swimming pools. However, its purpose is different: it is the world's first floating production and liquefaction plant. natural gas.
The vessel belongs to the Dutch-British oil and gas company Shell, built in South Korea by Samsung heavy industries, and will work off the coast of Australia, extracting gas from the ocean floor - the first drilling is scheduled for 2017. In the strict sense of the word, this is not quite a ship: Prelude will not be able to sail under its own power, and it will have to be towed to the workplace. But this monster is unsinkable and indestructible: it was created specifically for service in the "cyclone zone" in open ocean and is able to withstand even the fifth, highest category hurricane. The planned service life is 25 years.
Petronas towers with spiers
Length - 458.45 m, width - 68.86 m, deadweight - 564,763 tons. Launched in 1979, scrapped in 2010.
The largest oil tanker Seawise Giant got into the Guinness Book of Records for its size. The ship is 6 meters longer than the 88-story Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, complete with spiers, and is about the width of a football field. It is so large that the draft did not allow it to pass through the Suez, Panama Canals and the English Channel.
Designed and built in Japan by Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. in the mid-1970s, the tanker was destined for a Greek customer. However, he refused to buy: during the tests, a strong vibration of the hull was found while swimming in reverse. As a result, the ship was resold to a Hong Kong company and rebuilt: its displacement at full load reached an absolute record - 657,018 tons. During its long life, the ship changed owners and names several times, it was Happy Giant, Jahre Viking, Knock Nevis, Mont, went under Liberian, Norwegian, American and Sierra Leone flags.
In 1986, the Seawise Giant was nearly destroyed during the Iran-Iraq war. A missile fired by an Iraqi fighter caused a fire on board, the crew was evacuated, and the ship ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz and was considered sunken. The Norwegians found it, repaired it and sent it on a new voyage. Since 2004, the world's largest tanker has ceased to be a floating tanker and has been used as an oil storage near Qatar. In 2009, he made his last trip to the shores of India and was dismantled for scrap. After the disposal of the giant, the largest supertankers are four double-hulled TI-class ships: Oceania, Africa, Asia and Europe. They have a length of 380 m and outperform their competitors in deadweight of 441,585 tons.
Stadium running track
Length - 400 m, width - 58.6 m, deadweight - 184,605 tons, capacity - 19,100 teu (1 teu is a standard 20-foot container). Launched in 2014.
In January 2015, the world's longest container ship CSCL Globe made its maiden voyage from China to Europe. It was built by the South Korean shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries and is owned by the Chinese company China Shipping Container Lines. Although this vessel is the largest among container ships (it could run 400 m races), it is inferior in terms of cargo capacity to another giant: MSC Oscar, which was also recently built in South Korea for Italian company and can translate to 124 containers more. The difference is small, but the Chinese container ship has a longer length and the most powerful engine in the world: a MAN diesel engine with a capacity of 77,200 hp is hidden in the engine compartment of the ship. With. and a height of 17.2 m. Korean shipbuilders are not going to stop there and predict the emergence of new giant container ships.
Four statues of liberty
Length - 382 m, width - 124 m, deadweight - 48,000 tons. Launched in 2013.
The catamaran Pioneering Spirit, which until February 2015 was called Pieter Schelte, is the absolute champion in terms of deck area. The creators claim that a small town can fit on it. In length, four statues of Liberty (93 m with a pedestal) could be laid. The ship was built in South Korea according to the project Finnish company. Its function is the laying of underwater pipelines and the movement of drilling platforms. In January 2015, the ship arrived in Europe and has already become the center of controversy because of its name - in honor of the Nazi criminal Peter Schelte Heerm, an SS officer who was found guilty of war crimes and evaded punishment by deceit. Seeing the gigantic ship with that name in Rotterdam, the Jewish communities of Great Britain and Holland raised a fuss, as a result of which even the British government spoke out in favor of renaming the ship. Under public pressure, the head of Allseas, which owns the miracle ship, and Peter Schelte's own son, Edward Heerma, agreed not to use his father's name in the name of the catamaran and changed it to the neutral Pioneering Spirit.
whole city
Length - 362 m, width - 60 m, deadweight - 19,750 tons. Launched in 2009.
The largest cruise ship, Allure of the Seas, has a capacity of 6,296 passengers and 2,384 crew members. Made in Finland by the Norwegian company STX Europe, it is owned by the US-Norwegian company Royal Caribbean International and runs between the US and Europe. A whole city fits on board: 2700 cabins, a park with living trees and flowers, ice rink, an aquatheatre, a climbing wall, a theater for 1380 spectators, as well as shops, bars, restaurants, baths, saunas, etc. It is noteworthy that this ship has a twin of the same class - the Oasis of the Seas cruise liner. However, Allure of the Seas is 5 cm longer. The price for a 12-day sailing across the Atlantic from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona starts from 53,600 rubles.
Six Leaning Towers of Pisa
Length - 362 m, width - 65 m, deadweight - 402,347 tons. Launched in 2010.
The largest bulk carriers for transporting ore are called Valemax: this is a series of ships of the Brazilian mining company Vale SA. Seven ore carriers were ordered by this company in South Korea and 12 more in China. The pioneer among the twins was the Vale Brasil, later renamed Ore Brasil, launched in 2010 to transport ore from Brazil to Asia. This bulk carrier replaces 11,150 ore-carriers, burns almost 97 tons of fuel per day and ranks second among ships in terms of deadweight, giving way to TI-class ships. Due to its size, it can moor only in some deep-water ports in Brazil, China and Europe. It could easily fit six Leaning Towers of Pisa, if laid out in length.
90 aircraft
Length - 342 m, width - 78.4 m, displacement - 94,781 tons. Commissioned in 1961, decommissioned in 2012.
The American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) was the longest aircraft carrier in the world and was also the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The maximum capacity was 5828 people, up to 90 aircraft could be on board at the same time, but usually 60 were placed. The total ammunition capacity was 2520 tons. It was originally planned to create six such machines, but due to high price($ 451 million) it remained the only one of its kind - its feature was not only its size, but also the presence of eight A2W type reactors.
The aircraft carrier has become a symbol of US naval power and has been used in almost all wars and conflicts involving this country: in the Caribbean crisis, in the Vietnam War in 1965, in Iraq in 1998, in Afghanistan in 2001, in the Iraq War of the 2000s , in the fight against Somali pirates in 2011.
During its long life, the aircraft carrier went to sea 25 times, made one circumnavigation (in 1964), set a record for the number of sorties from a ship (65 in one day in 1965) and almost exploded in 1969, when on board an unplanned self-launch of aerial bombs occurred, which provoked the scattering of missiles and the destruction of 15 aircraft. Then 27 people died, 314 people were injured, and the damage to the ship was estimated at $ 6.4 million. However, the miracle aircraft carrier was restored and continued to sail until it was decommissioned in 2012. Its full disposal is scheduled for 2016.
The longest ship in the world June 13th, 2016
Modern giant ships can be compared according to different indicators: deadweight, width, height, number of passengers. But let's still look at the LONGEST ship on the planet.
The largest ship on the planet and the largest floating structure ever built by man is the Prelude FLING. It is equal in length to the famous Wailing Wall in Israel. On board could accommodate five full-size football fields or 175 Olympic swimming pools.
However, its purpose is different: it is the world's first floating plant for the extraction and liquefaction of natural gas.
Photo 2. 
The vessel is owned by the Dutch-British oil and gas company Shell, built in South Korea by Samsung Heavy Industries, and will operate off the coast of Australia, extracting gas from the ocean floor - the first drilling is scheduled for 2017. In the strict sense of the word, this is not quite a ship: the Prelude will not be able to sail under its own power, and it will have to be towed to the workplace (the information is controversial, there is another on the Internet). But this monster is unsinkable and indestructible: it was created specifically for service in the “cyclone zone” in the open ocean and is able to withstand even the fifth, highest category hurricane. The planned service life is 25 years.
Photo 3. 
The ship is designed to transport natural gas, convert it into liquefied natural gas (LNG) and, finally, transfer it directly to transport ships. The ship will have a displacement of more than 600,000 tons (namely 661,400 tons), and it is planned that the ship will carry up to 3.6 million tons (3.9 million tons) of LNG per year. Total capacity Prelude is over 430 million liters, equivalent to about 175 Olympic pools.
Photo 4. 
Prelude FLNG will be located approximately 475 km northeast of Broome, Western Australia for approximately 25 years. The season of operation in this region lasts from late November to April, but the new giant ship will be able to work all year round, in all weather conditions.
The mooring system allows the platform to turn slowly in the wind so as to reduce the impact of a powerful natural element.
Photo 5. 
The giant platform will go to natural gas production sites by 2017. However, Prelude FLNG's glory may soon fade, as company representatives said that in this moment are developing an even larger ship. "We're developing a huge platform," said Bruce Stinson, Shell's general manager last week, "it's going to be another floating giant," he noted.
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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 largest 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's 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. 
Imagine that you are going on a free cruise on the largest ship in the world. Inside is a whole metropolis of entertainment and services, and everything is free. Fiction? Yes. But one day, when the parade of planets takes place, the company launches a new ship, this fairy tale becomes a reality. Tour operators, the media and everyone who will subsequently sell tickets to this liner are invited to the first flight.
Harmony of the Seas is by far the largest cruise ship for 8200 people, of which 2200 crew members. The height of the ship is comparable to the height of a 20-storey building. The length is 362 meters, which exceeds the length of Red Square in Moscow. The construction of the liner cost Royal Caribbean more than 1,000,000,000 euros.
But the most impressive thing is not the measurements, but the filling of the liner - a helipad, swimming pools, water slides, a casino, a theater, an ice rink, a garden with 12 thousand different plants and many many others. There is even a Bionic bar on board, where robots work as waiters. Let's see what it looks like inside...
General plans of the liner. This is really a huge thing, a giant Noah's Ark with a displacement of 227,500 tons:
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We left the port of Barcelona. We were escorted by two fire ships: in honor of the first voyage, they staged a “salute” of water cannons:
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The first place you go on a cruise is, of course, the cabin. I will not give the footage, I will only mention that in my cabin there was a separate dressing room:
General areas of the liner. On the right in the photo is a giant head sculpture that rotates in layers in different directions:
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There are pedestrian streets on board. A complete feeling that it was not a ship that went into the sea, but a piece of the mainland. There are a lot of people. After a series of accidents on cruises, Royal Caribbean installed an advanced facial recognition system that can, if necessary, identify each passenger in the crowd:
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Many sculptures and works of modern art:
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Let's go up to the upper decks. There are two types of decks - indoor, comfortable in windy weather, and outdoor:
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There are 16 decks on board. 6 main pools and 10 giant jacuzzis:
The upper deck is replete with public areas:
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Lots of loungers. Pay attention to the slides behind the pool:
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On the other side of the golf course:
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Waves for boarding:
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Rope crossing at the level of seven floors:
At the stern of the ship is a huge aquatic theater. Two pipes lead down from the upper deck, through which you can go down in clothes. Feels very fast, very scary and very dark. You overcome almost 30 meters of height in 13 seconds, making two 360-degree turns along the way:
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To the right of the water theater is a pedestrian area called Central Park:
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Naturally, there is a gym, and it is gigantic. Many simulators and shells:
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There are 20 restaurants on board the Harmony of the Seas. The main one occupies three floors, it is there that daily dinners are held:
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And this is the same Bionic bar where robots work. In the arsenal mechanical hands 30 alcohol components. The range of cocktails they can make is endless. One cocktail takes 30 seconds. Looks fantastic:
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Another memorable restaurant is called "Wonderland" and is based on the famous work of Lewis Carroll:
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Hall decoration:
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Instead of a menu, they bring an empty picture that needs to be painted with water. After these manipulations, words appear. It would seem a trifle, but leaves an indelible impression:
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Restaurant molecular cuisine. The dish is called "Garden", and the "earth" is made of bread with the addition of cuttlefish ink:
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Balloon dessert topped with hot chocolate. After a minute, the ball melts, revealing the ice cream inside. Very tasty:
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Every week, 4,500 kg of chicken and almost 7,000 kg of beef are consumed in the liner's restaurants. Total on board 4900 seats in restaurants and bars. The assortment of desserts again confused me:
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There are dozens of shops in Central Park for every budget:
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You won't be bored in the evening. Rather, on the contrary, you will need to run from one view to another:
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In the theater - a Broadway production of "Grease". The film of the same name, based on this musical, made Travolta a star already in 1978:
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Ice show. Just pay attention to the quality of the costumes that were prepared for the performance.
Modern passenger ships are able to amaze not only with the entertainment provided, but also giant size. They are like floating mini-cities with restaurants, shops, parks, gyms, cinemas and beauty salons.
Top 10 included largest cruise ships in the world to date.
Length 306 m
("Carnival of Magic") opens the ten largest cruise ships in the world, the length of which is 306 meters. The giant ship can accommodate up to 4,000 people on board, for which about 1,500 cabins are provided. On 14 decks there are restaurants, cafes, fitness centers, a football field, various sports grounds for playing volleyball, basketball, golf and tennis. This is a real "Carnival of Magic", which will give a lot of unforgettable impressions to both adults and young passengers. Carnival Magic has been cruising since 2010.
Length 319 m
It occupies the ninth line in the ranking of the largest cruise ships in the world. The giant ship is 319 meters long and 37 meters wide. On board can accommodate up to 4800 people with the crew. The Celebrity Reflection has been in operation since 2012 and is an example of luxury combined with comfort and innovative technologies. The upper deck has a huge green lawn, a Persian garden, a VIP area and much more. On board, in addition to numerous cafes and bars, there is a free restaurant Opus Dining Room with a capacity of up to one and a half thousand people. The number of service personnel is more than a thousand people.
Length 333 m
The first cruise ship of the new generation of the Fantasia class. The largest ship was launched in 2008 and received the title of "Eco-ship", like its future successors. sea length vehicle was 333 meters and a width of 38 meters. There are about 1637 cabins on board, and in total MSC Fantasia is able to accommodate up to 4500 people along with the crew. MSC Cruises was the first company to implement the idea of a separate VIP zone, which is located on several decks at once. The cabins provide 24-hour service and a full range of entertainment. The needs of passengers are served by more than 1,300 personnel. A special feature of MSC Fantasia is the Formula 1 simulator and an unusual water park with numerous illuminated musical fountains.
Length 333 m
Included in the list of the largest liners in the world, the length of which is 333 meters. In addition, the vessel bears the title of "Eco-ship", due to the presence innovative systems that protect environment from pollution. MSC Splendida has 18 decks, which housed a variety of bars and restaurants, pizzerias, cigar room, theater, Internet cafe, casino, children's and teens play areas, boutiques, sports grounds, saunas, first-aid post and much more. On the main stage of the ship, evening shows with the participation of dancers, singers and gymnasts are regularly held. The capacity of the vessel, together with the crew, is about 4300 people.
Length 333 m
The largest cruise ship in the world of the Fantasy class. Its predecessors are MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida. The vessel was launched in 2012 and has become a prime example of a new generation of ships. On board the MSC Divina, passengers will find plenty of entertainment and spacious, comfortable cabins. Restaurants, bars, cafes, pizzerias, theaters, a conference hall, a music salon, a disco, a library, a spa, a bowling alley, a first-aid post, a laundry, a hairdresser and more are located on 13 decks. The length of the ship is 333 meters, and the passenger capacity is 4200 people.
Length 324 m
("Norwegian Separation") is one of the largest cruise ships in the world with a passenger capacity of up to 6,000 people, including the crew. The vessel was 324 meters long and 40 meters wide. On 14 decks there are over 2 thousand cabins, a beach club, spa cabins, swimming pools, water slides, a water park, 28 cafes, restaurants and bars, shops, a playground, a casino, a library, a beauty salon, a hairdresser, an Internet cafe, a gym, etc. .d. It also hosts regular entertainment shows hosted by The Second City comedy troupe.
Length 325 m
("Norwegian epic") is one of the largest cruise ships in the world. It was built in 2009 by Norwegian shipbuilder STX Europe and put into operation in 2010. The absolute length of the liner was 325.4 meters and a width of 40 meters. "Norwegian epic" is able to take on board up to 5900 people, along with the crew. There are cinemas, numerous cafes, restaurants, water rides and more on 13 decks.
Length 360 m
("Oasis of the Seas") opens the top three largest liners in the world. This is the first cruise ship of the Oasis class, which was at the time of construction (2008) the largest passenger water vehicle. Its length was 360 meters, and the width reached 60 meters. The maximum passenger capacity is 6400 people. On board the ship there are 16 decks with different themes. Vacationers can visit the local park from exotic plants, shops, gyms, cafes, the largest casino in the world cruise fleet, attractions, a water park and much more.
Length 360 m
("Charm of the Seas") takes second place in the ranking of the largest liners in the world. The vessel is owned by Allure of the Seas Inc. It was built in 2009 and put into operation in 2010. The ship was 360 meters long and 60 meters wide. "Charm of the Seas" can accommodate up to 6400 passengers on board. There are various shops, boutiques, a water park, a jacuzzi, a casino, restaurants, bars, an ice rink, attractions, sports grounds and much more. There is also a park of exotic plants on board, where everyone can take a walk.
Length 362 m
Harmony of the Seas("Harmony of the Seas") is the largest cruise ship in the world today. The vessel is 362 meters long and 66 meters wide, which puts it in first place. The construction of the water vehicle began in 2012, and in 2015 it was launched. The construction of Harmony of the Seas cost Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. More than 1 billion dollars. giant ship made his first cruise on May 16, 2016. The passenger capacity of the liner is designed for 8200 people, including the crew. The liner is divided into seven thematic sections: Central Park, Boardwalk, Royal Promenade, pool and gym area, Spa and fitness, entertainment area and children's area.
