The tanker is a specialized cargo-type vessel that can be adapted for both sea and river routes. Water transport is intended for the transportation of bulk cargo. The largest in their series are ocean supertankers, which are used not only for oil transportation, but also for its storage.
One of the biggest supertankers
The largest tanker in the world was lowered from the slipway in 1976. Royal Dutch Shell acted as its creator, and the ship itself was called Batillus. About 70 thousand tons of metal and about 130 million dollars were spent on the construction of a water vehicle. In 1973, there was a global oil crisis, as a result of which the cost of raw materials increased significantly. This has led to a significant reduction in cargo turnover. The company-creator of the tanker had the intention to stop the construction of the vessel, but the contract signed two years before the start of construction did not allow this. The gap in agreement promised significant costs. Today, the only competitor of the ship is the largest ship in the world, the Knock Nevis tanker.
Ship Batillus Specifications
Immediately after the construction was completed, the ship complied only with its minimum norm: it carried out only 5 voyages during the year. Since 1982, water transport has been idle idle for more time than used for its intended purpose. In 1982, the owner of the vessel decided to sell it for scrap at a price of $ 8 million. The tanker structure included about 40 tanks of an independent type, the total capacity of which is 677.3 thousand cubic meters. Thanks to the compartmentalization into compartments, the vessel could be used to transport several types of hydrocarbons simultaneously. The project reduced the risk of emergencies and the likelihood of ocean pollution. The oil was loaded into the largest tanker in the world by four pumps with a capacity of approximately 24 thousand cubic meters per hour. The total length of the vessel was 414 meters, and the deadweight (that is, the total carrying capacity) corresponded to 550 thousand tons. The maximum speed did not exceed 16 knots, and the duration of the flight without refueling and restocking was 42 days. 330 tons of fuel per day were spent on servicing the floating structure with four power plants.
Generational change
After Batillus with two five-blade engines and 4 steam turbines with a capacity of 64.8 thousand horsepower was used as a storage facility since 2004 and was disposed of in 2010, Knock Nevis took its place. Over the history of its existence, Batillus has changed a huge number of owners, changed its name many times and was cut into scrap metal with the name Mont under the flag of Sierra Leone. The second largest tanker in the world is the Knock Nevis, the construction of which, like its predecessor, was completed in 1976. The ship acquired its enormous size three years later, after reconstruction. As a result of modernization, the deadweight of the tanker approached 565 thousand tons. Its length increased to 460 meters. The crew of the ship is 40 people. Tanker engine turbines are capable of speeds of up to 13 knots due to a total capacity of 50 thousand horsepower.
Seawise Giant, or Knock Nevis's story
The largest oil tanker in the world, the construction of which was carried out in the XX century, is called Seawise Giant. The construction of the vessel began before the era of the emergence of double-decker tankers. At the moment, there are no analogues of the vessel . According to experts, only floating cities will be able to compete with it, with houses, offices and a full-fledged infrastructure, the projects of which are just beginning to be considered by experts. The construction of the ship began in 1976. Initially, its deadweight was supposed to correspond to 480,000 tons, but after the bankruptcy of the first owner, tycoon Tung decided to increase its carrying capacity to 564763 tons. The ship was launched in 1981, and its main purpose was to transport oil from fields in the Gulf of Mexico. Later, the ship transported oil from Iran. During one of the flights it was flooded in the Persian Gulf.
Magical rebirth
The largest oil tanker in the world, called the Seawise Giant, was lifted from the ocean floor near the island of Kharg in 1988 by SRP Keppel Shipyard. The new owner of the tanker was Norman International, which spent 3.7 thousand tons of steel on ship restoration. The already restored ship changed its owner again and became known as Jahre Viking. In March 2004, ownership was transferred to First Olsen Tankers, which, due to the age of the structure, converted it into the FSO, a floating complex that was used only for loading and storing hydrocarbons in the Dubai shipyard area. After the last reconstruction, the tanker acquired the name Knock Nevis, under which it is known as the largest tanker in the world. After the last renaming, the vessel in the role of FSO was towed into the waters of Qatar to the Al Khashin field.
Tanker dimensions Knock Nevis
The largest tanker in the world was called Knock Nevis. He became a kind of product of the scientific and technological revolution. As part of the design, a longitudinal hull recruitment system was used, and all superstructures were aft. It was during the assembly of tankers that electric welding was first used. At different periods of its existence, the tanker was known as Jahre Viking and Happy Giant, Seawise Giant and Knock Nevis. Its length is 458.45 meters. For a complete turn, the ship needed 2 kilometers of free space and the help of tugboats. The transverse size of water transport is 68.8 meters, which corresponds to the width of a football field. The upper deck of the ship could easily accommodate 5.5 football fields. The tanker was withdrawn from the fleet on January 1, 2010, since then it had not only a worthy competitor, but just an analogue.
Largest LNG Tanker in the World
The largest tanker LNG is considered a vessel called Mozah, which was commissioned to its customer in 2008. During the construction, Samsung's shipyards for the Qatar Gas Transport Company were used. For three decades, LNG tankers accommodated no more than 140,000 cubic meters of liquefied gas. Giant Mozah broke all records with a capacity indicator of 266,000 cubic meters. This volume is enough to provide heat and electricity throughout England throughout the day. The deadweight of the vessel corresponds to 125,600 tons. Its length is 345, and its width is 50 meters. Draft - 12 meters. The distance from the keel to the Klotik corresponds to the height of a 20-story skyscraper. The design of the tanker provided for its own gas liquefaction plant, which minimized harmful fumes and almost completely eliminated the risk of an accident, ensuring complete safety of the cargo. In the future, it is planned to construct and launch only 14 vessels of this series.
The largest tankers in history
The largest tanker in the world is Chinese. As the generations changed, the vessels that have already been decommissioned have changed, the producing country remained the same.
There are only 6 designs of the ULCC class, which managed to exceed the mark of 500,000 tons of deadweight,
- Battilus with a deadweight of 553,662. The period of existence from 1976-1985.
- Bellamya with a deadweight of 553,662, plowing the expanses of the oceans from 1976 to 1986.
- Pierre Guillaumat, designed in 1977 and decommissioned in 1983.
- Esso Atlantic with a deadweight of 516,000 and a lifespan from 1977 to 2002.
- Esso Pacific (516,000 tons). The period of operation is from 1977 to 2002.
- Prairial (554.974 tons). Designed in 1979, removed from flights in 2003.