The massive supertanker too large for the world's most famous canals

Countries & Cities · Published 12 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Measuring 458.45 meters, the Seawise Giant was a marvel of engineering that defied the limits of maritime navigation. Its sheer scale meant it could never safely traverse the English, Suez, or Panama Canals, making it a titan of the seas that existed on the very edge of what was possible.

Constructed between 1974 and 1979 by Sumitomo Heavy Industries in Yokosuka, Japan, the Seawise Giant was a record-breaking Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC). Originally identified by the hull number 1016, the vessel faced early difficulties, including severe vibrations during sea trials that led to a lengthy arbitration. After being sold and renamed Oppama, it underwent a process called jumboisation, which added 146,152 tonnes of cargo capacity and lengthened the ship by several meters.

The resulting vessel was a behemoth with a deadweight tonnage of 564,763 tonnes and a length of 458.45 meters. This made it longer than the Petronas Towers, which stand at 451.9 meters. However, its massive 24.611-meter draft presented significant logistical challenges. Because of its draft, the vessel could not traverse the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal, or the English Channel.

The ship's service life was marked by dramatic events, including an Iraqi Air Force airstrike on 14 May 1988 using French-made Exocet missiles. While the attack caused fires and oil leaks, the ship did not sink. It was later repaired and renamed Happy Giant, and later Jahre Viking, before being converted into a floating storage unit in Qatar's Al Shaheen Oil Field in 2004. Its journey ended in late 2009 when it was beached at the Alang Ship Breaking Yard in India for scrapping, a process that concluded in 2010.

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