Seawise Giant, the world’s largest ship, was constructed in the late 1970s with a length of over 458 meters and a carrying capacity of more than 564,000 tons. The ship’s deck is larger than six football fields, making it one of the most massive vessels on the water.
Originally built for a Greek businessman, Seawise Giant was later purchased by Tung Chao Yung who wanted to make it even bigger. After being rechristened, the ship served as a super tanker for transporting crude oil between the US and the Middle East for seven years before sinking during the Iran-Iraq war in 1988.
The ship was eventually salvaged, repaired and renamed multiple times before finding its final resting place as scrap metal in Gujarat, India. Its journey from being the world’s largest ship to eventually becoming dismantled highlights the challenges faced by massive vessels in modern times and serves as a reminder of how rapidly technology is changing our world. Today, only a 36-ton anchor from the super tanker remains on display at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.
