The 5 Biggest Ships In The World Right Now (2025 Edition: Cruise, Cargo, And Warships)

The title of "biggest ship in the world" is not held by a single vessel, but rather a collection of colossal engineering marvels, each dominating its respective category—from luxury cruise liners to essential global cargo carriers. As of December 2025, the maritime industry continues its relentless pursuit of scale, driven by economic efficiency and passenger demand, resulting in a new generation of record-breaking vessels.

The true "biggest ship" depends on the metric: is it length, deadweight tonnage (DWT), gross tonnage (GT), or cargo capacity (TEU)? This comprehensive, up-to-date guide breaks down the undisputed champions in the world's oceans across five critical categories, highlighting the vessels that currently define the absolute limits of naval architecture and human engineering in 2025.

The Undisputed Champions: Biggest Ships by Category in 2025

Defining the "biggest" requires specific metrics. For passenger vessels, Gross Tonnage (GT) is the standard, measuring the internal volume. For cargo ships, TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) capacity is key, while for tankers and bulk carriers, Deadweight Tonnage (DWT), which measures the total weight of cargo, fuel, and supplies, is used. Warships are typically measured by displacement.

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1. Biggest Cruise Ship: Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas (and Star of the Seas)

The title of the world's largest cruise ship is a fiercely competitive one, currently held by the revolutionary Icon of the Seas, a vessel so large it redefines the concept of a floating city. Launched by Royal Caribbean International, this ship is the first in the company's new Icon-class and immediately set a new standard for size and luxury.

• Vessel Name: Icon of the Seas (Jointly with Star of the Seas)
• Ship Class: Icon-class
• Gross Tonnage (GT): 250,800 GT
• Length: 1,198 feet (365 meters)
• Passenger Capacity: 7,600 (Max)
• Crew Capacity: 2,350

The *Icon of the Seas* is a true behemoth, boasting 20 decks and eight distinct "neighborhoods." However, the record is already being challenged by its own sister ship. The Star of the Seas, also an Icon-class vessel, launched in 2025 and is considered the joint-largest cruise ship in the world, matching the *Icon's* massive gross tonnage. These ships are not just the largest, but they also represent a significant shift toward LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) propulsion, a key focus for the modern cruise industry's sustainability efforts.

2. Biggest Container Ship: MSC Irina (and the Irina-Class)

In the world of global trade, scale is everything, and the record for the largest container ship is measured by its TEU capacity—the number of standard 20-foot containers it can carry. As of late 2025, that crown belongs to the MSC Irina, part of the record-breaking Irina-class of vessels operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

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• Vessel Name: MSC Irina (and MSC Tessa)
• Ship Class: Irina-class
• TEU Capacity: 24,346 TEUs
• Length: Approximately 1,312 feet (400 meters)
• Operator: Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)

The debut of the *MSC Irina* in 2025, including a historic maiden call at ports like Vizhinjam International Seaport, cemented its status at the forefront of the global supply chain. These ultra-large container vessels are essential for transporting everything from electronics to clothing, underpinning the entire modern economy. The sheer number of containers these ships can carry is mind-boggling, often stacked 25 rows wide and 12 tiers high above the deck.

3. Biggest Warship (by Displacement): USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)

When measuring warships, the key metric is displacement, which is the total weight of the ship itself. The title of the world's largest warship belongs to the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the lead ship of the U.S. Navy's new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

• Vessel Name: USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)
• Ship Class: Gerald R. Ford-class Aircraft Carrier
• Displacement: Approximately 100,000 long tons (fully loaded)
• Length: 1,092 feet (333 meters)
• Power Source: Nuclear Reactor (A1B)

The *USS Gerald R. Ford* is not only the largest but also the most technologically advanced warship ever built. Its features include a new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), advanced arresting gear, and a smaller island structure, all contributing to increased sortie rates. As of 2025, this supercarrier is a centerpiece of the U.S. Naval fleet, representing the ultimate projection of naval power globally.

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The Legacy Giants: Historical and Specialized Records

While the cruise and container records are held by new vessels, other categories are dominated by specialized ships or historical titans that have been decommissioned but still hold the all-time records.

The All-Time Biggest Ship Ever Built: The Seawise Giant

If the measure is simply the largest ship ever constructed by length and deadweight tonnage (DWT), the record has stood for decades and belongs to the legendary oil supertanker, the Seawise Giant (also known by later names like *Happy Giant*, *Jahre Viking*, and finally, *Knock Nevis*).

Despite being scrapped in 2010, the *Seawise Giant* remains an icon of the Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC) class. Its sheer size is unmatched, designed to carry massive quantities of crude oil across the globe.

• Vessel Name: Seawise Giant (Knock Nevis)
• Type: Oil Tanker (ULCC)
• Length: 1,504 feet (458.45 meters)
• Deadweight Tonnage (DWT): 564,763 DWT

To put its size into perspective, the *Seawise Giant* was longer than the Empire State Building is tall. It was so large that it could not navigate the English Channel, the Suez Canal, or the Panama Canal, forcing it to use specialized routes around the world's major capes.

The Largest Operational Oil Tanker: FSO Oceania

While the *Seawise Giant* is history, the largest oil tanker currently in service is the FSO Oceania (or *OCEANIA*). However, like many modern supertankers, it no longer operates as a traditional carrier but as a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) unit. This means it is permanently moored and used for oil storage and transfer, often at an offshore oil field.

The *FSO Oceania* is an example of a vessel designed for the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) or ULCC category, capable of carrying millions of barrels of crude oil. Its operational status as an FSO at the Sungai Linggi anchorage in Malaysia highlights the specialized role these massive vessels now play in the global petroleum supply chain.

The Future of Maritime Engineering and Scale

The race for the biggest ships is a continuous cycle of innovation, driven by the economics of scale. Every new generation of vessel, whether a cruise ship or a container carrier, aims to reduce the cost per passenger or the cost per TEU, making global trade and travel more efficient. The maritime industry's focus is currently shifting toward not just size, but also environmental performance, with new ships like the Icon-class utilizing cleaner fuels like LNG to reduce their carbon footprint.

The biggest ships in the world in 2025 are not merely large; they are floating testaments to advanced engineering, complex logistics, and the enduring human ambition to build bigger and better. From the luxury of the *Icon of the Seas* to the logistical power of the *MSC Irina*, these vessels are the true giants that keep the world moving.

Key Entities and Terms in Modern Shipping

• Gross Tonnage (GT): A measure of a ship's internal volume, used for passenger vessels.
• Deadweight Tonnage (DWT): The total weight a ship can carry (cargo, fuel, water, etc.), used for tankers and bulk carriers.
• Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU): The standard unit for measuring container ship capacity.
• Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC): The largest class of oil tankers, including the *Seawise Giant*.
• FSO (Floating Storage and Offloading): A permanently moored vessel used for storing and processing oil or gas.
• Royal Caribbean International: The operator of the world's largest cruise ships.
• Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC): The operator of the world's largest container ships.
• LNG Propulsion: Liquefied Natural Gas, a cleaner-burning fuel source for modern vessels.
• USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78): The largest warship by displacement.
• Icon of the Seas: The largest cruise ship by Gross Tonnage.
• MSC Irina: The largest container ship by TEU capacity.
• Seawise Giant (Knock Nevis): The largest ship ever built by length and DWT.

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