Did you Think the Titanic was the Biggest Ship Ever? Introducing the World's Biggest Ships

Think of a big ship and for many the only name that springs to mind is the Titanic. There's no denying this is one of the most famous ships in history and unfortunately it met with an untimely end on its first journey. There have been a number of giant ships, most of which many will never have heard of. So, we thought we'd gather together a few of the biggest ships ever built, some of which have been scrapped and some are still in service. We've decided to list them according to their overall length, dead weight tonnage and gross tonnage. Our list includes some record holders, former record holders and larger vessels that are no longer in use.

T1 Class Supertanker

Ever wondered how crude oil gets transported around the world? The T1 class supertanker Oceania is one of the best looking ships every built and it's used for transferring crude oil. The Oceania is one of the largest double-hulled supertankers in the world and the biggest in terms of dead weight tonnage and gross tonnage. It has a speed capacity of between 16 to 18 knots and is laden with technology. Dead weight is around 440,000 tones and it's 380 metres long.

CMA CGM Alexander von Humboldt

This is an Explorer class container ship built for CMA CGM and it was the world's largest containership until delivery of the Maersk Triple E Class. It is 396 metres in length with a dead weight tonnage of 187,624 tonnes.

Emma Maersk

This is currently the second biggest ship still in service. When this ship was launched in 2006 it was the largest container ship ever built. And the first container ship in the E-class of eight owned by the AP Moller-Caersk Group. By 2010, Emma Maersk and her seven sister ships were some of the longest container ships ever constructed. It can carry around 11,000 twenty-foot equivalent units and is 397.71 metres long. This vessel is used to carry different goods from country to country.

Esso Atlantic

This vessel was basically an oil tanker and was disposed of as scrap in Pakistan, 15 years ago in 2002. it was one of the most popular names in the history of big ships and served admirably with 35 years of straight service. It was 406.57 metres long and had a dead weight of 516,891 tons.

Pierre Guillaumat

This is the third biggest ship ever built and was names after the French politician and founder of Elf Aquitaine oil industry, Pierre Guillaumat. It was a supertanker and was built in 1977 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint Nazair. It was only in service for 6 years before it became nothing more than scrap metal. It was scrapped because of declining demands and unprofitability. The usefulness of this vessel was limited due to her gigantic size. She couldn't pass through the Panama or Suez canals. There were few ports she could enter and was therefore moored on offshore rigs and oil terminals. Her dead weight tonnage was almost 555,000 tones and she could get up to about 16 knots of speed. Her length was almost 414.22 metres.

Seawise Giant

This super ocean going vessel was known by a number of different names and was a ULCC supertanker. She was also known as Mont, Oppama, Knock Nevis, Jahre Viking and Happy Giant. It became the longest and largest ship by dead weight after lengthening. Also called the Queen of oceans and rivers she was built in 1979 by Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd in Japan. She became damaged by an air force attack during the Iran-Iraq War and was considered completely lost. The wreckage, however, was salvaged and repairs and she was put back into service. She was eventually sold to Indian ship breakers and underwent her final journey in December 2009. She was then intentionally beached in India for demolition.

Prelude FLNG

This vessel can claim the title of the biggest ship of the world ever built. Its hull is longer than the Empire State Building is tall and she was launched in South Korea in December 2013. She measures 488 metres long and 74 metres wide. The hull belongs to Shell's Prelude floating liquified natural gas facility, the largest floating facility ever built. Used in its construction was more than 260,000 tonnes of steel. When operating it would weigh more than 600,000 tonnes. Five times the weight of the largest aircraft carrier.

Oasis class

These are worthy of a place in our list as they are a class of Royal Caribbean International cruise ships that are the world's largest passenger ships. The ships are Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, and MS Symphony of the Seas, which is due for completion in 2018. Symphony is the largest of the four. The Oasis-class vessels are equipped to carry more than 5,400 passengers and feature a split structure. There is the 5-deck high 'Central Park' and 'Boardwalk' outdoor areas running down the middle of the ship. These areas feature lush tropical gardens, upscale restaurants, a working carousel and shops.