The Seawise Giant, the longest ship ever built, was struck by Iraqi missiles in 1988 and later rebuilt, sailing for over a decade before being dismantled in 2010.
Seawise Giant's massive dimensions
The Seawise Giant, the longest ship ever built, measured 458.45 meters in length and 69 meters in width, with a deadweight capacity of 564,763 tonnes. Its size was so immense that it could not navigate through major waterways like the English Channel, the Suez Canal, or the Panama Canal due to its 25-meter draft when fully loaded.Attack in 1988 and total loss
In 1988, during the war between Iran and Iraq, the Seawise Giant, loaded with Iranian crude, was anchored off the island of Larak when Iraqi planes targeted it with Exocet missiles. Struck directly, the ship caught fire and drifted with the currents, ending up in relatively shallow waters and was declared a total loss by insurers.Rebuilding and relaunch
Despite being declared a total loss, the Norwegian company Norman International purchased the wreck and had it towed to the Keppel shipyard in Singapore for restoration. The ship was renamed Happy Giant and then Jahre Viking before resuming commercial service, with 3,700 tonnes of new steel added during the rebuild.Final years and dismantling
In 2004, it was purchased by First Olsen Tankers and renamed Knock Nevis, ending its career as a floating storage unit in Qatar. In 2010, it was run aground in Alang, India, for dismantling. The ship's anchor, weighing 36 tonnes and 7 meters high, was preserved and donated to the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, installed in the Jockey Club Anchor Plaza in 2025.Echoes in the Strait of Hormuz
The story of the Seawise Giant echoes recent events in the Strait of Hormuz, where incidents involving oil tankers have been reported. The region remains a critical passage for global oil trade, and such events highlight the ongoing risks faced by large vessels in politically sensitive areas.
