Strongman Pulls 700-Ton Ship With His Teeth in Record Attempt

An Egyptian man attempted to break a world record on Saturday by pulling a 700-ton ship using only his teeth.

Ashraf Mahrous, a 44-year-old wrestler from the port city of Ismailia, completed the feat on the shore of the Red Sea in Hurghada. Known locally as “Kabonga,” Mahrous used a rope clenched between his jaws to drag the massive vessel across the water. He later repeated the challenge by pulling two ships together, with a combined weight of roughly 1,150 tons.

Mahrous said he aimed to surpass the current Guinness World Record, which stands at 614 tons and was set in 2018. He plans to submit footage and documentation of the attempt to Guinness for official verification.

The wrestler, who also serves as President of the Egyptian Federation for Professional Wrestlers, is no stranger to such extreme challenges. Earlier this year, he pulled a 279-ton train with his teeth for nearly 33 feet, earning recognition from Guinness for the heaviest rail pull.

During the same event, he received certificates for the heaviest locomotive pull and the fastest 100-meter road vehicle pull. In previous years, he also moved a 15,730-kilogram (34,684-pound) truck and cracked and ate eleven raw eggs in 30 seconds—both of which were acknowledged by Guinness.

The Egyptian man who pulls ships with his teeth: Extreme training and a natural approach to strength

Mahrous prepared for the ship pull with an intense diet and training regimen. He followed a high-protein routine that included a dozen eggs, two chickens, and about eleven pounds of fish each day. His workouts were split into three daily sessions, each lasting two hours.

He claims that he avoids supplements and dental visits. Instead, he relies on a traditional miswak twig to clean his teeth, saying it helps maintain strength and prevent decay. A mouthguard is his only protective gear during pulls, but he says he’s confident in the resilience of his teeth.

Mahrous first attempted to pull a ship six years ago. Tied to a 4,000-ton vessel by a rope strapped to his shoulders, he managed to move it about 30 yards through the water after nearly two hours of effort.

Mental preparation and record-breaking ambitions

Mahrous believes connecting with the object—speaking to it, visualizing it as part of his body—plays a key role in his success. Injuries no longer concern him as much as the idea of falling short.

Looking ahead, he said he plans to request presidential permission to pull a 263,000-ton submarine and hopes to one day move an aircraft using only the muscles in his eyelids.