The Prelude is the world's largest vessel. It is 1,601 feet long, which makes it 150 feet longer than the Empire State Building.

Owned by Shell, the vessel earned its title of the largest object currently afloat. The bright red vessel weighs 600,000 tons and is 243 feet wide, according to Wired.

It has three engines packing 20,100 horsepower and took a full year to complete.

So

What will Shell be using the mammoth vessel for? It will be a floating liquefied natural gas facility where natural gas will be harvested from the depths of the ocean. Wired reports that Prelude will produce 3.9 million tons each year.

According to Shell, "It also avoids the potential environmental impact of constructing and operating a plant on land, including laying pipelines to shore and building other infrastructure."

Check out a size comparison chart below:



The first destination for Prelude, is off the coast of Western Australia, where it will anchor for 25 years.

While the Prelude will begin its trek to Australia in 2017, Shell is already working on the designs of an even bigger vessel, according to Reuters.