In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the man who built the flood vessel was Utnapishtim.
Utnapishtim appears in the Mesopotamian flood story preserved in the eleventh tablet of the Standard Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The god Ea warns him about a coming flood and instructs him to build a large vessel, preserve life, and bring aboard people, animals, and craftsmen.
After the flood, Utnapishtim releases birds to discover whether the waters have receded. He eventually receives immortality, a reward that distinguishes his story from the Genesis account of Noah.
The two narratives share major motifs, including divine warning, a large boat, survival of a flood, and birds used to test the waters. They are not the same text, however, and their names, divine characters, vessel details, and endings differ.