Jahre Viking: This is a big ship. The biggest in the world, it turns out.
The Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC) oil tanker Jahre Viking was the largest ship afloat in 2004. At 485.46 metres [1,503 feet long] from tip to tip, she surpasses the tallest land structure, the 424-meter Petronas tower of Malaysia.
It’s actually the world’s biggest man-made floating object (the “man-made” qualifier is important, I guess, when you’re competing with icebergs).
I remember that the Titantic was often refered to as “the biggest man-made moving object.” I wonder if the Jahre Viking claims that crown. What could be bigger and still move? I think about that space shuttle transporter thing, but that would be bigger only in weight, not dimensions. And would the Jahre Viking be even heavier than that when fully loaded?