The world's longest ships are listed according to their overall length (LOA), which is the maximum length of the vessel measured between the extreme points in fore and aft. In addition, the ships' deadweight tonnage (DWT) and gross tonnage (GT) are presented as they are often used to describe the size of a vessel.
The list includes the current record-holders, either as individual ships or ship classes, of each major ship type as well as larger vessels that have been scrapped.
- This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.
| Name | Type | LOA | DWT | GT/GRT | In service | Status | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seawise Giant | Oil tanker | 458.46 m (1,504.1 ft) | 564,650 DWT | 260,851 GT | 1979–2009 | Broken up | Seawise Giant became the longest and largest ship by deadweight tonnage after lengthening. | |
| Pierre Guillaumat | Oil tanker | 414.23 m (1,359.0 ft) | 555,051 DWT | 274,838 GT | 1977–1983 | Broken up | Pierre Guillaumat was the longest and largest ship by deadweight tonnage ever laid down. | |
| Batillus | Oil tanker | 414.22 m (1,359.0 ft) | 553,662 DWT | 273,550 GT | 1976–1985 | Broken up | ||
| Bellamya | Oil tanker | 414.22 m (1,359.0 ft) | 553,662 DWT | 274,268 GT | 1976–1986 | Broken up | ||
| Prairial | Oil tanker | 414.22 m (1,359.0 ft) | 555,046 DWT | 274,826 GT | 1979–2003 | Broken up | ||
| Esso Atlantic | Oil tanker | 406.57 m (1,333.9 ft) | 516,891 DWT | 247,160 GT | 1977–2002 | Broken up | ||
| Esso Pacific | Oil tanker | 406.57 m (1,333.9 ft) | 516,421 DWT | 247,160 GT | 1977–2002 | Broken up | ||
| Mærsk E class (8 ships) | Container ship | 397.71 m (1,304.8 ft) | 158,200 DWT | 170,794 GT | 2006– | In service | The eight identical Mærsk E class container ships are the longest ships currently in service. They will be superseded by 400.0-metre (1,312.3 ft) Mærsk Triple E class in 2013. | |
| CMA CGM Marco Polo | Container ship | 396.0 m (1,299.2 ft) | 187,625 DWT | 175,343 GT | 2012– | In service | CMA CMG Marco Polo is the largest container ship by capacity (TEU) as of 2012. | |
| Nai Superba | Oil tanker | 381.92 m (1,253.0 ft) | 409,400 DWT | 198,783 GT | 1978–2001 | Broken up | ||
| Nai Genova | Oil tanker | 381.92 m (1,253.0 ft) | 402,932 DWT | 188,947 GT | 1978–2000 | Broken up | ||
| Berge Emperor | Oil tanker | 381.82 m (1,252.7 ft) | 423,697 DWT | 203,110 GT | 1975–1986 | Broken up | ||
| Berge Empress | Oil tanker | 381.82 m (1,252.7 ft) | 423,697 DWT | 211,359 GT | 1976–2004 | Broken up | ||
| FSO Africa | FSO | 380.00 m (1,246.72 ft) | 441,655 DWT | 234,006 GT | 2002– | In service | The four TI class supertankers are the largest ships currently in service by deadweight tonnage. Two ships have been converted to floating storage and offloading (FSO) units. | |
| FSO Asia | FSO | 380.00 m (1,246.72 ft) | 441,893 DWT | 234,006 GT | 2002– | In service | ||
| TI Europe | Oil tanker | 380.00 m (1,246.72 ft) | 441,561 DWT | 234,006 GT | 2002– | In service | ||
| TI Oceania | Oil tanker | 380.00 m (1,246.72 ft) | 441,585 DWT | 234,006 GT | 2003– | In service | ||
| Valemax (35 ships) | Bulk carrier | 360–362 m (1,180–1,188 ft) | 400,000 DWT | 200,000 GT | 2011– | In service | The 400,000-ton Valemax ore carriers are the longest bulk carriers ever constructed as well as largest by deadweight tonnage. All 35 ships of this type are expected to be in service by 2013. | |
| Oasis of the Seas | Cruise ship | 360 m (1,180 ft) | 15,000 DWT | 225,282 GT | 2009– | In service | Oasis class cruise ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are the longest and largest passenger ships ever built by gross tonnage and passenger capacity. | |
| Allure of the Seas | Cruise ship | 360 m (1,180 ft) | 19,750 DWT | 225,282 GT | 2010– | In service | ||
| Queen Mary 2 | Ocean liner | 345.03 m (1,132.0 ft) | 19,189 DWT | 148,528 GT | 2003– | In service | ||
| Berge Stahl | Bulk carrier | 343 m (1,125 ft) | 364,767 DWT | 175,720 GT | 1986– | In service | Berge Stahl was the longest and largest bulk carrier by deadweight tonnage in 1986–2011. | |
| USS Enterprise | Aircraft carrier | 342 m (1,122 ft) | 1961– | In service | Scheduled for decommissioning on March 2013. |
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)
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—Hortense Odlum (1892–?)
“Once I went so far as to slaughter a woodchuck which ravaged my bean-field,—effect his transmigration, as a Tartar would say,—and devour him, partly for experiment’s sake; but though it afforded me a momentary enjoyment, notwithstanding a musky flavor, I saw that the longest use would not make that a good practice, however it might seem to have your woodchucks ready dressed by the village butcher.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“A modern fleet of ships does not so much make use of the sea as exploit a highway.”
—Joseph Conrad (1857–1924)