The Seawise Giant, the largest ship ever built, surpassed the height of both the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building. Measuring 458.45 metres in length, the vessel was longer than the Eiffel Tower's 330 metres and the Empire State Building's 443 metres.
Constructed in Japan between 1974 and 1979 by Sumitomo Heavy Industries, the ship originally had no name and was identified by its hull number, 1016. It was an Ultra Large Crude Carrier with a deadweight tonnage of 657,019 tonnes when fully laden, making it the heaviest ship ever recorded.
Due to its immense size, the Seawise Giant could not navigate the English Channel, the Suez Canal, or the Panama Canal. Its draft was 24.6 metres, and it suffered severe vibration problems during sea trials, leading an unnamed Greek owner to refuse delivery.
Eventually sold to Hong Kong Orient Overseas Container Line, the ship was lengthened and renamed Seawise Giant. In 1988, during the Iran-Iraq war, it was damaged by fires and deemed uneconomical to repair. However, a Norwegian investment firm bought and repaired it, renaming it Happy Giant.
Later owned by First Olsen Tankers and renamed Knock Nevis, it served as a moored storage tanker in the Persian Gulf. Its final owners, Amber Development, renamed it Mont before it was beached in India in December 2009 for scrapping, a process that took until the end of 2010. The ship's anchor is preserved on public display in Hong Kong.
