Watch What Happens When This Huge Ship Slides Off the Dock

On October 31st, 2015 the first ever cargo ship to run only on liquefied natural gas (LNG) hit open water for the first time. This was a huge advancement in the boating world and the launch of the ship was attended by a small crowd of photographers, as well as an aerial video camera to capture the moment the ship went from land to sea.

The ship was built and docked in the Netherlands and was known around the shipyard Nb. 423, until it was handed over to its new owners JT Cement in the weeks leading up to Christmas. From that moment on, it was known as The M.V. Greenland, or The Greenland, for short.

After at sea trials and tests, the ship’s well-document departure was from Delfzijl, Netherlands. It was heading out on its first commercial voyage to Rostock, Germany where it will receive its first cement cargo. The Greenland, if you couldn’t guess by the company that now owned it, was a designated cement cargo ship.

Since it’s the first of its kind, The Greenland has a unique design. The cement cargo system consists of a fully automated cement loading and unloading system that uses compressed air to move cement through fully enclosed pipes, making loading and unloading dust free.

Needless to say, with this groundbreaking engineering, The Greenland was ready to make a splash in its first public appearance. But we’re not sure if everyone involved expected THIS big of splash.

In the aerial video of the ship sailing for the very first time, we first see that a much smaller boat is attached to The Greenland and already in the water. It’s clear that the smaller boat is going to ease forward and encourage the cargo ship to leave its dock.

At first, it starts off slowly. So slowly that the boat barely moves. We’re wondering how this boat (which is maybe an eighth of the cargo ship’s size) is going to be able to take The Greenland into water!

But after a few moments, the large ship begins to move.

We watch with bated breath as The Greenland tilts into the water on a dangerous angle, looking like it might almost flop into the water on its side. But this ship is well-engineered and quickly re-balances.

The ship might be upright and in the water, but the ripple affect of its big entrance is all too real. We see the large, frothy waves appear from each side of the ship, but don’t think much of them — until we see that one of the waves is not slowing down.

On the right hand side of the ship is a stretch of highway and then a field on the other side of the road. A roadblock has been put into place further down, preventing cars from getting in the way, and a crowd of about 30 people taking pictures is on the blocked stretch of road.

And when the people see the unstoppable wave from The Greenland coming at them? Well, you have to see the affect of the wave yourself. (Spoiler Alert: everyone remained safe and dry, but the wave looks incredibly cool!)

What do you think of this fascinating video? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.