Most people struggle to drag a heavy suitcase through an airport. Ashraf Suliman just pulled a 700-ton cargo ship using nothing but a rope and his jaw. It sounds like a tall tale from a sailor’s tavern, but the footage from the Suez Canal tells a different story. This wasn't just a display of raw power. It was a calculated risk that pushed the limits of human dental and spinal durability.
The feat took place in Ismailia, Egypt. Ashraf "Kabongi" Suliman, a man who’s built a reputation for moving things that shouldn't move, stepped up to the Ismailia Yacht Club. He didn't go for a truck or a plane this time. He targeted a massive vessel. Specifically, a ship weighing roughly 720 tonnes. That is not a typo. We are talking about over 1.5 million pounds of steel and cargo sitting in the water.
Why pulling a ship is harder than a truck
You might think water makes things easier because of buoyancy. That’s a mistake. While the water supports the weight, it creates massive drag. Unlike a truck on wheels, where you only need to overcome static friction to get it rolling, a ship requires constant, increasing force to move through a viscous medium. There’s no "momentum" that helps you coast. If you stop pulling for a split second, the water resistance kills your progress immediately.
Kabongi didn't just pull it a few inches. He moved it far enough to shatter the previous Guinness World Record. He’s been training for this for years, and it shows. His neck muscles look like bridge cables. You don't just wake up and decide to snap your neck into a harness.
The physics of the jaw pull
Let’s talk about the jaw. The human masseter muscle is the strongest muscle in the body based on its weight. We can exert about 200 pounds of force on our molars. But that’s for biting down. Pulling 700 tons horizontally is a completely different mechanical problem.
When Kabongi pulls, the force travels from the rope through his teeth, into his jawbone, and directly down his cervical spine. Any slight misalignment and he’s looking at a shattered jaw or a slipped disc. He uses a custom-made bite block to distribute the pressure across all his teeth. If he relied on just his front teeth, they’d be ripped out of his gums before the ship even budged.
It’s about weight distribution. He leans back, using his entire body mass as a counterweight. His legs do the heavy lifting, but his mouth is the anchor point. It’s a brutal, grunting display of what the human frame can handle when pushed to the absolute edge.
Breaking the record in Egypt
This wasn't some quiet backyard stunt. This was a sanctioned event with officials present to verify the weight and the distance. Egypt has a long history of "strongman" culture, but Kabongi is taking it to a level that feels almost superhuman. He’s already moved planes and heavy trucks, yet the ship was his "white whale."
The crowd in Ismailia went wild as the rope went taut. You could see the strain in his face—veins popping, skin turning a deep shade of red. When the hull finally began to glide through the water, it wasn't just a victory for him. It was a statement about Egyptian strength. He’s now officially the heaviest ship puller (by teeth) in history.
What this does to the body
Don't try this. Seriously. Even if you think you have "strong teeth," the sheer structural load of a 720-tonne ship is enough to compress your vertebrae. Professional strongmen like Kabongi spend years conditioning their tendons and ligaments. Muscles grow fast, but connective tissue takes forever to toughen up.
He likely deals with chronic jaw pain and significant dental wear. There’s no way to do this "safely." You just do it as carefully as possible. His training involves pulling smaller boats, then moving up to tugboats, and finally these massive cargo ships. It’s a ladder of pain.
The road ahead for Kabongi
Ashraf isn't done. He’s already eyeing bigger targets. He wants to put Egypt on the map for every strength category in the Guinness books. Most people look at a ship and see a mode of transport. He looks at it and sees a personal challenge.
If you’re interested in following his journey, watch the official Guinness World Record channels. They usually release the high-speed and slow-motion breakdowns of these lifts. It’s fascinating to see the moment the friction breaks and the ship starts its slow, agonizing crawl forward.
Next time you’re at the gym and a 20lb dumbbell feels heavy, think about Kabongi. Think about 720 tons of steel. Think about doing it with your mouth. It puts your workout into perspective pretty quickly. If you want to see more of these records, look into the "Strongest Man" archives for vessel pulls—just don't expect to see anyone topping this 720-tonne mark anytime soon. It’s a massive jump from the previous records and will likely stand for a long time.
Check the local Egyptian news outlets for the full video of the Ismailia pull. Seeing the slack leave that rope is something you won't forget.
