Compare ships
Choose two or three vessels and compare dimensions, capacity, purpose and propulsion.
Build a comparison →Giants of the Sea. Ranked, Measured & Monitored.
An independent maritime reference documenting 230 ultra-large vessels. We verify dimensions, carrying tonnages, shipyard origins and satellite AIS positions across the global commercial fleet.
Monitored fleet230 shipsFull directory
AIS watchlist23 activeLive tracking
All-time length488 mPrelude FLNG
Maximum volume403,342 GTPioneering Spirit
Max container TEU24,346 TEUMSC Irina
Global shipyards14 sitesBuild & recycling
TOP 100 RANKINGBy length overallBow to stern measurement (metres) →TOP 100 RANKINGBy gross tonnageTotal enclosed internal volume →FLEET ARCHIVEAll 230 vesselsSearch, filter & inspect specifications →
What is the largest ship ever built?
By length among self-propelled ships, Seawise Giant holds the all-time historical record at 458.45 metres. It reached 564,763 tonnes deadweight and was dismantled in 2010. Read the verified history →
Container ships153Cruise ships64Tankers7Construction vessels1Bulk carriers2Historic liners2Floating LNG facilities1
Global Fleet Radar & Historical Atlas
230 published profiles · 23 vessels on the live AIS watchlistHistoric and shipyard pins indicate approximate areas, not exact berths or navigable routes. Current-vessel pins, when available, show timestamped AIS reports. A missing report does not establish a vessel’s location.
Fleet Exploration Tools & Intelligence
All tools & ship stories →See their scale
Put a vessel’s length beside a sprint straight, an example pitch or the height of the Eiffel Tower.
Open the size explorer →Follow the records
Trace historical milestones in length, gross tonnage and cargo capacity without mixing their units.
Read the record timeline →Check received positions
See report ages, verified AIS identities and coverage gaps across the fleet.
Open vessel tracking →Does it fit the canal?
Length and beam against the stated limits of Panama, Suez and the Strait of Malacca.
Set the locks →The fleet at a glance
Type mix, size distributions and the top longs and tonnages, all computed from the directory.
View the charts →The ship classes
Sister vessels grouped by design families across the yards.
Browse the classes →Ship aboard the orders
Ships on contract and under construction, with sources and claimed delivery years.
Survey the future →Maritime glossary
Plain-language definitions of ship measurements, tonnages, canal standards and shipyard terms.
Read the glossary →Search everything
Find any vessel, sister class, shipyard, news post or guide across the entire site.
Search the fleet →THE HISTORICAL RECORD HOLDER
Seawise Giant
Why it was built. Where it went. What became of the ultimate supertanker.
Explore the full vessel archive →
FROM FIRST STEEL PLATE
Where ships are built
The major shipbuilding yards behind the world's biggest hulls, from Japan and South Korea to China and Europe.
Visit the shipyards →TO FINAL BEACHING
Where ships are recycled
The coastal recycling centers where retired maritime giants are dismantled, steel is recovered, and careers conclude.
Explore ship recycling →FROM THE SHIPYARDS
Shipbuilding news
Construction milestones, keel layings, and maiden deliveries with dates and original shipyard citations.
Read the news →BEHIND THE STEEL
The maritime engineering blog
Technical analyses of hull structural limits, dual-fuel LNG propulsion, and modern shipyard engineering.
Explore the engineering stories →Map locations & verification sources
- Yokosuka, Japan · Construction · Historical evidence
- Larak Island, Iran · 1988 · Historical evidence
- Singapore · Repairs before return to service · Historical evidence
- Antifer, France · 1995 · Historical evidence
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates · 2004 conversion · Historical evidence
- Al Shaheen field, Qatar · 2004–2009 · Historical evidence
- Alang, India · Final voyage and dismantling · Historical evidence
- Alang, India · Guinness World Records
- Aliağa, Turkey (Türkiye) · İzmir Development Agency
- Ancona, Italy · Fincantieri
- Chattogram / Chittagong, Bangladesh · International Maritime Organization
- Gadani, Pakistan · International Maritime Organization
- Marghera / Venice, Italy · Fincantieri
- Monfalcone, Italy · Fincantieri
- Papenburg, Germany · Meyer Werft
- Saint-Nazaire, France · Chantiers de l’Atlantique
- Sestri Ponente / Genoa, Italy · Fincantieri
- Shanghai, China · China State Shipbuilding Corporation
- Turku, Finland · Meyer Turku
- Ulsan, South Korea · HD Hyundai Heavy Industries
- Yokosuka / Oppama, Japan · Sumitomo Heavy Industries
The collection is expanding. Current-position radar markers appear for published, tracked vessels with received transponder reports. Illustration: Shipsprofiler, CC BY-SA 3.0, resized and converted to WebP.
