‘Obaid’ built in Dubai, is named after the Emirati shipbuilder Obaid Jumaa bin Majid Al-Falasi. It has been certified by Guinness Book of World Records as the ‘World’s largest wooden Arabic Dhow’.
For the record the late Emirati shipbuilder Obaid Juma started his apprenticeship in the1940’s at the age of nine (9).
The dhow measured 91 meters long and more than 20 meters wide. The vessel is 11.22 meters high and weighs 2,500 tonnes. The ‘Obaid’ is powered by two 1,850 horsepower engines and built for speed of 14 knots . Built from approximately 1,700 tonnes of wood and 800 tonnes of steel and is scheduled to carry cargo.
This record breaking marvel is a handmade boat, built in a country with no forests. A modern adaptation is adding steel to the wooden structure.
The ship builder is Majid Obaid Al-Falasi the Managing Director of Majid Obaid Bin Majid Al Falasi & Sons, UAE.
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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)