Oil and its products are transported, including by sea, using special ships that fall into the category of tankers. Oil tankers are real monsters of the commercial fleet, having received the status of world record holders in terms of their dimensions and carrying capacity.

Design features of tankers

At the present stage of shipbuilding, an oil tanker is a single-deck vessel with built-in tanks (tanks), capable of transporting hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo. The world's first self-propelled oil tanker, the Zoroaster, had much more modest characteristics and could transport a maximum of 250 tons of raw materials.

The world's first oil tanker "Zoroaster"

Zoroaster was built in Sweden by order of the Russian company Nobel Brothers Oil Production Partnership. The ship went to sea in 1877. Before its construction, conventional sailing ships were used to transport oil throughout the world, with the cargo being poured into wooden barrels.

Nowadays, the hulls of tankers, like most other ships, are built on the basis of a frame to which a metal skin is attached. The specificity is that inside the tanker hull is divided into several tank compartments - tanks, which are filled with oil and petroleum products during loading. The volume of one such tank is at least 600 cubic meters, in large-tonnage ships - more than 10 thousand cubic meters.

Tanker projects that were developed until the seventies provided for the construction of three-axle ships with a mid-structure with a wheelhouse, an extended poop and a forecastle. Now tankers are produced without a middle superstructure. Living quarters and control stations are located on the poop deck of increased height.

Construction of an oil tanker: 1 - forepeak; 2 - bow deep tank (ballast); 3 - rubber dam; 4 - cargo tanks; 5 - deep tank; 6 - engine room; 7 - after peak; 8 - yut; 9 - cabin; 10 - pump room; 11 - dry cargo hold; 12 - tank

Cargo spaces occupy up to 70% of the ship's length. The number of additional longitudinal bulkheads in the tank sector reaches two or three units. Bulkheads are installed to prevent cargo from spilling over. Currently, all tankers with a carrying capacity of more than a thousand tons are equipped with heaters for high-viscosity oil or solidifying raw materials, powered by steam, electricity or the heat of gases from the ship’s engines.

Cargo tank inside

Tanker projects provide for the implementation of modern shipbuilding solutions - installation of bow and stern thrusters, adjustable pitch propellers, remote control systems for the operation of power plants and cargo operations.

Operational safety

To a large extent, the design features of tankers are influenced by the safety requirements for the transportation of oil cargo. Since 1996, under the terms of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), tankers have been equipped with double hulls, and the volume of tanks is also limited.

On the one hand, fulfilling such requirements makes it possible to reduce the threat of marine pollution; on the other hand, it makes the hull heavier, which ultimately leads to the inexpediency of building ships with a deadweight above 450 thousand tons. One of the newest popular concepts for building a tanker with a high degree of safety and reliability involves a design with dual systems- not only the hull, but also two engines, engine rooms, propellers and rudders.

Transportation of part of the tanker hull

In order to ensure fire safety the space of the tanks that is not occupied by oil is filled with inert gases. If a fire does occur, steam and foam are supplied to the tanks to extinguish the fire. A number of ship models provide for fire extinguishing by supplying oxygen-poor engine exhaust gases to the fire zone.

Due to the fact that a number of petroleum products, including their vapors, have penetrating properties, the cargo compartments are separated from the remaining modules of the ship by special control compartments - meter-long vertical cofferdams.

Inside the rubber dam. The large pipe is for drainage

If the tanker has a middle superstructure, it is also separated from the tanks by a two-meter horizontal compartment. The safety compartments are constantly open and ventilated. They are used as storage areas for loading hoses.

To prevent the accumulation of oil gases in the cargo areas there is no double bottom. However, such a design solution does not affect high level unsinkability of tankers, since their hull is equipped with a large number of bulkheads, and the tanks are hermetically sealed. Storage facilities for fuel and water supplies are located at the end parts of the hull, including in the double bottom area of ​​the engine room.

Despite serious design solutions to ensure the safe operation of tankers, emergency incidents still happen to them - both due to breakdowns and crew errors. Let us recall recent cases: in December 2016, due to a tanker malfunction, traffic through the Bosphorus Strait was blocked, and in February of this year, a tanker from Panama ran aground.

How tankers are loaded with oil

Tankers are loaded using oil loading complexes. The construction of oil berths started at the beginning of the last century, which was associated with the rapid development of the tanker fleet and the laying of oil pipelines. The first oil loading pier in Russia was built in Batumi in 1906. Through its facilities, kerosene was loaded onto ships.

Loading a tanker at an oil pier

Modern berths are deep-water and provide loading and accounting of raw materials, bunkering and other operations with tankers in automatic mode. The infrastructure of the berth complexes includes stands, metering units, safety, control and shut-off valves, units for preventing accidents during loading and fire extinguishing systems.

Pumping oil into a tanker at the oil terminal in the port of De-Kastri

With the help of pumping units, oil and its refined products are pumped through pipeline systems, including underwater ones, to fixed or floating oil loading berths, after which they are delivered to the tanker. In turn, the ship is unloaded using ship pumps through pipelines laid in tanks or along the deck. Raw materials are pumped out of tanker tanks and delivered to the tanks of sea and river transshipment points and bases, which include berths.

Tanker cargo pumps

When empty (without cargo), water ballast is pumped into the ships' tanks. Before receiving cargo, it is moved to port treatment facilities or oil depots. There are tankers (such modifications were also built in the USSR), the design of which provides for the presence of ballast tanks between the double hulls. This solution allows not to pollute ballast water with petroleum products. At the same time, ballast water does not require treatment before discharge.

Classification of oil tankers

Tankers are classified according to various criteria, including deadweight (carrying capacity), dimensions and draft. Deadweight division is a specialized classification of oil tankers that applies only to that class of vessel.

According to deadweight, tankers are divided into categories:

1. General Purpose (GP) - small-tonnage and general purpose tankers, designed to transport from 6 thousand to 24.999 thousand tons of oil or petroleum products, including bitumen.
2. Medium Range (MR) - medium-tonnage (from 25 thousand to 44.999 thousand tons).
3. Large/Long Range1 (LR1) - large-tonnage first class (from 45 thousand to 79.999 thousand tons).
4. Large/Long Range2 (LR2) - large-tonnage second class (from 80 thousand to 159.999 thousand tons).
5. Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) - large-capacity tankers of class 3 (from 160 thousand to 320 thousand tons).
6. Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC) - supertankers with a deadweight of 320 thousand tons, which are used to transport oil produced in the Middle East and in the Gulf of Mexico.
7. Floating Storage and Offloading unit (FSO) - supertankers with a deadweight of more than 320 thousand tons, used only for unloading raw materials at sea onto tankers of smaller classes.

Classification by size and draft is carried out according to the criterion of the possibility of tankers passing through straits, canals, etc. water bodies and hydraulic structures. This classification applies not only to tankers, but also to other types of vessels.

Tankers are classified according to their dimensions and draft as follows:

1. Seawaymax - can pass through the North American St. Lawrence Seaway.
2. Panamax are capable of passing through the Panama Canal.
3. Aframax are designed for use in the Black Sea, Mediterranean waters, East China and Caribbean Seas, on canals and in ports that are unable to accommodate tankers of a larger class.
4. Suezmax is a class assigned only to oil tankers and designates their ability to pass through the Suez Canal.
5. Malaccamax tankers transport oil from the Persian Gulf to China, passing through the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia. The draft limit reaches 25 meters.
6. Post-Malaccamax, whose draft is greater than that of ships of the previous class, is forced to set a course for China through the deep-water Lombok Strait (Indonesia).
7. The Capesize class includes tankers of the VLCC and ULCC categories, which due to their size are not able to pass through the Panama and Suez Canals. They follow routes along Cape Horn (Chile) or the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa).

Giant tankers

Among the tankers, which, due to their impressive dimensions, are real giant ships, have their own record holders. The most famous representative of supertankers was the ULCC Knock Nevis class vessel (called different time also Jahre Viking, Happy Giant, Seawise Giant and Mont), which changed several owners during its operation.

Jahre Viking

Knock Nevis is still considered the largest ship in human history in terms of deadweight - 564.763 thousand tons. The length of the tanker was 458.45 meters, the braking distance exceeded ten kilometers. When fully loaded, the tanker's draft did not allow it to pass through the Pas de Calais Strait (English Channel) and the Suez Canal. In addition, due to its size, the ship was not able to pass through the Panama Canal.

The ship was built by the Japanese company Oppama and commissioned in 1976. Before the conversion, the length of the tanker was 376.7 meters, deadweight - 418.610 thousand tons. Three years later, after changing ownership to the Hong Kong corporation Orient Overseas Line, it underwent restructuring, during which the deadweight was increased by almost 150 thousand tons. After modernization, the tanker acquired the status of the largest ship on the planet.

The ship was cruising around the Cape of Good Hope, carrying oil from Middle Eastern countries to the United States. In May 1986, while Iran and Iraq were at war, Knock Nevis was attacked by an Iranian fighter in the Strait of Hormuz. A fire broke out and three people died. The tanker ran aground. It was raised and restored by the Norwegian company Norman International only two years later.

Knock Nevis

After tankers without a double hull were banned from entering American and European ports, the vessel’s transport “career” ended and it was used as an oil storage facility in the Qatari Al Shaheed field. The ship made its last voyage to the coast of India, where during 2010 it was cut into metal due to the end of its service life. Only one of the 36-ton anchors remained from the tanker, which became an exhibit at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.

However, a number of experts question the title of the Knock Nevis record holder, assigning the status of not only the largest tanker, but also the largest ship to the ULCC Batillus class oil tanker launched in the same year. The fact is that Knock Nevis received its outstanding characteristics only after restructuring. Batillus, according to the project, initially had a length of 414.22 meters and a deadweight of 553.662 thousand tons. Thus, immediately after leaving the stocks, it outperformed the Knock Nevis. The tanker was built by the French company Chantiers de l’Atlantique for Shell (UK-Netherlands).

Batillus at the shipyard in Saint-Nazaire

Since launch, Batillus has completed 25 voyages, mostly from the Persian Gulf to Northern Europe. The tanker has been idle in ports for a long time more than once. The company's management was not satisfied with the low frequency of flights and in 1985 decided to sell the tanker for scrapping. The ship was scrapped in Taiwan that same year.

After the dismantling of the largest tankers Knock Nevis and Batillus, the status of the largest operating ships of this type passed to four ULCC-class vessels of the same type - TI Oceania, TI Asia, TI Africa and TI Europe, built by the South Korean Daewoo Heavy as part of the Hellespont project in 2002–2004 years.

TI Oceania

These ships have a deadweight of 441.585 thousand tons and a hull length of 380 meters. The owner of TI Oceania and TI Africa (original names Hellespont Fairfax and Hellespont Tapa, respectively) was the Canadian shipping company Shipholding Group, and TI Asia and TI Europe (Hellespont Alhambra and Hellespont Metropolis, respectively) were acquired by the Euronav operator (Belgium).

Hellespont Fairfax

The tanker industry operates efficiently and earns money not only thanks to its large transport capabilities, but also to established traditions and even some tricks. Transportation on oil tankers, like any other major economic sector, has impressive indicators and its own unique features:

• The tanker fleet accounts for a third of the world's merchant shipping tonnage. The total carrying capacity of tankers reaches 489 million tons. There are currently 9,435 tankers of various classes worldwide.
• Due to the low cost of freight, oil transportation by sea is characterized by high economic efficiency. This transportation scheme is inferior in this criterion only to the supply of raw materials via pipelines.
• The vast majority of tanker owners are companies from Greece. The same is true for the commercial fleet as a whole. The tanker shipping market is extremely opaque, with operators often resorting to “flag of convenience” schemes (usually Malta, the Bahamas and Marshall Islands, Liberia or Panama).
• Environmental threats during transportation by tankers are practically absent due to the high degree of safety and technological excellence of the vessels.
• The main risks of the industry are related to geopolitics. Ships have to pass through canals and straits, the closure of which can not only disrupt contracts, but also affect the price of oil. Thus, in the event of a conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the movement of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz may be stopped. Currently, up to 17 million barrels of “black gold” are transported along this route per day. Another example is that closing the Strait of Malacca will completely deprive China of oil delivered by sea.
• IN last years The trend of oil companies using tankers as storage facilities for raw materials in anticipation of a more favorable market situation is gaining momentum. Now they simultaneously store up to 180 million barrels of oil, which is more than double the 2014 figure. There are up to four hundred storage tankers in the ports of Singapore.
• Crews, when carrying out illegal operations related to the illegal transfer of oil at sea to other ships (as the Iranians did during international sanctions), turn off transponders, which makes it possible to hide the location and draft of the offending tankers, that is, essentially making data on the change inaccessible the weight of their cargo. Such ships have to be tracked using alternative methods, including satellite imagery. Pronedra wrote earlier that Iran, in particular, sells oil directly from tankers.
• The degree of automation of modern tankers is so high that even the largest vessels of this type can be operated by one person. Supertanker captains are secretly considered to be among the maritime elite.
• To prevent heating and evaporation of cargo, the exterior of the deck of oil tankers is sometimes painted White color, while in order to avoid the harmful effects of bright reflected light on the crew’s vision, sunglasses are provided to sailors.
• The average service life of a supertanker is 40 years.

Navigation bridge of a modern tanker

Tanker transportation is not just a separate segment of oil logistics, but also a powerful independent economic sector, a whole world of leisurely steel giants that deliver colossal volumes of “black gold” to different parts of the globe. The contribution of shipbuilders who create tankers is not only to the development of the oil business and the commodity market, but also to the progress of engineering, the improvement of maritime transport system and the increase in the degree of environmental safety is difficult to overestimate.

A tanker is a vessel used to transport liquid cargo. Oil tankers can truly be called a unique invention, and the largest tanker in the world is capable of transporting fifty percent more oil products in one voyage than other tankers. At the same time, the operating costs of such a sea vessel do not increase significantly, which makes it possible oil companies using huge ships to transport their products, improve their income. Therefore, the demand for these oil-carrying vessels will always be great. So which tanker in the world is recognized as the largest?

Batillus

The tanker was produced in 1976 - it took 10 months, as well as approximately 70,000 tons of metal and cash in the amount of $130,000,000. Moreover, the tanker was built according to the original design, and there was no modernization during its use. This grandiose vessel made five voyages annually, but since 1982 it began to stand idle many times, and in 1985 its owners decided to sell the tanker for scrap.

This ship was truly impressive in its size. It included forty tanks, the total volume of which was approximately 667,000 m3. It was approximately 414 meters long and 63 meters wide. The deadweight was over 550,000 tons. Oil was pumped here using four pumps. This powerful tanker was driven by four steam turbines, each with a power of 64,800 hp. The speed developed by the tanker was 16 knots. During the day it consumed 330 tons of fuel. The crew working on the tanker consisted of 16 people.

By separating the tanks with partitions, safety was ensured for the transportation of flammable cargo. This design also made it possible to simultaneously transport different types of oil. And the ship’s engine was located in the stern, separated from the cargo compartment by two bulkheads filled with water.

Knock Nevis

This main competitor of the Batillus was also created in 1976, but it was originally much smaller than the Batillus, and then it was modernized after three years of operation. As a result, its length became approximately 460 meters, its width was 68 meters, and its deadweight was 565,000 tons. The crew of this sea vessel consisted of 40 people, and the ship developed speed with the help of turbines, the power of which was a total of 50,000 hp, 13 knots. The upper deck of this tanker could fit 5 football fields. When turning around with tugs, it required a space of 2000 m.

Despite the fact that it could be called the largest in the world, the Knock Nevis had certain shortcomings that predetermined its short existence - in 2004 the ship was used only to store oil, and in 2010 it was sent for disposal (cut up for scrap ). For example, a big disadvantage was the tanker’s draft of almost 25 meters, which can be compared with the height of a seven-story building. Due to its size, the tanker could not pass through the Suez and Panama canals, and it was also prohibited from passing through the English Channel, since there was a high probability of running aground. This ship has changed many names during its existence: HappyGiant, JahreViking, SeawiseGiant, and the tanker died under the name Mont.

Today, there are simply no tankers that could surpass the size of these cargo ships carrying oil. And for sure, in the future, the palm will belong to supertankers, which are real floating cities - at least, some projects in this direction are already being developed.

The role of infrastructure in human life cannot be underestimated. The economy of no modern country can exist without developed trade relations. Pipelines are most often used to transport important products such as gas and oil. However, for export across seas and oceans, tankers (from the English “tank” - tank) - specially equipped vessels - are used. Among them are their own record holders, who are commonly called supertankers. These include ships that have impressive capacity, and with it impressive dimensions.

In this material we will talk about what is the largest tanker in the world, as well as four more grandiose ships of this class.

First place - Knock Nevis

This tanker has a very rich history. During its existence, it managed to change four names. Initially, it received the name “Jahre Viking”, which was later changed to a more positive one - “Happy Giant”. However, it was not final either. Soon the first word in the name was changed - “Seawise Giant”, and only then the ship came to its modern name.

Knock Nevis - truly giant ship. Its length is about 458 meters. It takes two kilometers to complete a complete turn of the supertanker. It is noteworthy that special tugs are most often used for turning. This makes the maneuver easier. The width of the vessel is also impressive - 69 meters, which is comparable to the width of a football field. The total area of ​​the ship's upper deck could accommodate several such fields.

Due to its size, this supertanker is not able to navigate the Suezian and Panama Canals. For the same reason, he is prohibited from visiting the English Channel. Initially, the ship was built for a Greek entrepreneur, who, due to bankruptcy, was unable to buy the tanker.

Knock Nevis even had a chance to become a participant in the fighting. During the war in Persian Gulf it was attacked by Iraqi aircraft. The ship was seriously damaged. It is actually flooded. Nevertheless, the tanker was towed and, after undergoing serious repair and restoration work, returned to service.

Second place - Battilus

This supertanker was produced in full accordance with the original design and has not experienced a single modernization since then. The large tanker was built in less than a year. It took about seventy thousand tons of steel to create it. The cost of the vessel is 130,000,000 US dollars.

The length of the ship is 412 meters. It is 62 meters wide. The draft is 28 meters, which is comparable to a multi-storey building. The ship moves thanks to four turbines with a capacity of 65 thousand horsepower each. The supertanker is capable of reaching a speed of 16 sea knots. The crew includes only 26 people.

Third place - Bellamya

Bellamya was created in the same year as Battilus - 1976, and it was decommissioned just a year later, in 1986. During this time, Bellamya managed to transport a huge amount of oil. It was used in the Middle East to transport oil from the Persian Gulf. The supertanker's fuel consumption was about three hundred tons. The ship had four powerful pumps for pumping oil, and about 20 tanks for storing it. Each tank was about forty meters long and twenty meters wide.

Fourth place - Pierre Guillaumat

This tanker got its name in honor of a famous politician from France, who was also a major entrepreneur in the main oil corporation. The ship was created in 1977. For six years it fulfilled its direct duties of transporting oil and petroleum products, but then it was written off for scrap. The reason for this was low profitability. The oil crisis hit the industry hard. Many companies in the early 80s were forced to leave the market or reduce their presence.

The tanker Pierre Guillaumat was also unprofitable because, like many supertankers, it was not able to pass through most straits and canals due to its enormous size. The ship had to travel enormous distances. In addition, not every port is able to accommodate a ship of this size.

Fifth place - TI

The most modern supertanker in this rating. Unlike his more monstrous counterparts, he is more capable of completing tasks while maintaining high profitability. The vessel's carrying capacity is about four hundred tons of liquid. The TI class tanker can reach speeds of up to 18 sea knots, which is quite a good result for a ship of this size. Even though the TI is smaller than other supertankers, it is still quite large. Its length is 350 meters. The most famous ship of the TI series is Oceania. It was launched in 2003. Its construction lasted one year.

In this rating you can familiarize yourself with the five largest tankers in the world. These ships are capable of transporting gigantic oil reserves over vast distances. However, their size also carries serious disadvantages, which ultimately led to the fact that almost all the ships from this rating were decommissioned.

The largest oil tanker in operation in the world

Just recently I showed you THE LONGEST ship in the world, but it was generally debatable whether it was a ship or a factory. And here is a real ship of slightly shorter length, but which is an ultra-large oil tanker.

On the Internet you will most likely find outdated information about what the most big tanker in the world by deadweight is Knock Nevis. However, this is no longer entirely true and let's figure out why. During its existence, this supergiant has changed several names: Seawise Giant, Happy Giant, Jahre Viking, Knock Nevis, Mont. Moreover, it managed to change not only the name, but also the dimensions, as well as the scope of its application.

Let's start with history.

The ULCC (Ultra Large Crude Oil Carrier) Knock Nevis was designed by the Japanese company Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. (SHI) in 1974 and built at the Oppama shipyard in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. When built, the ship had a maximum length of 376.7, a width of 68.9 and a side height of 29.8 meters. Its deadweight was 418,610 tons. The tanker was powered by a Sumitomo Stal-Laval AP steam turbine that developed a power of 37,300 kW at 85 rpm. A 4-bladed constant pitch propeller with a diameter of 9.3 meters was supposed to provide the tanker with a speed of 16 knots (29.6 km/h). On September 4, 1975, the tanker was solemnly launched. For a long time the ship did not have a name and was named by the construction number of the hull - ship No. 1016. During factory road tests, extremely strong vibration of the body was revealed when the vehicle was in reverse. This caused the Greek shipowners to refuse to accept the vessel. The refusal, in turn, led to lengthy litigation between builders and customers. Eventually, the Greek company went bankrupt and the ship was taken over by SHI in March 1976 and named Oppama.

Its carrying capacity was 480,000 tons (typical modern oil tankers have a capacity of 280,000 tons).

But apparently this was not enough for the Greek shipowner. And he ordered an increase in the size of the tanker. The Seawise Giant (as it was then called) was then cut in half and additional sections were added to the middle.

SHI, exercising its legal right as owner, sold Oppama to Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas Line, owned by tycoon C.Y.Tung, who commissioned the shipyard to rebuild the tanker. It was planned to add a cylindrical insert to increase the vessel's deadweight by 156,000 tons. The conversion work was completed two years later, in 1981, and the refurbished vessel was handed over to the shipowner under the name Seawise Giant and raised the Liberian flag.

As a result of the restructuring, the maximum length of the vessel was 458.45, the draft at the summer load line was 24.611 meters, and the deadweight increased to a record 564,763 tons (data from the classification society Det Norske Veritas). The number of cargo tanks increased to 46, and the main deck area was 31,541 sq. m. meter. When rebuilt, the monster had a fully loaded displacement of 657,018 metric tons, which along with its size made the Seawise Giant the largest ship ever to sail on Earth. True, the speed dropped to 13 knots. Seawise Giant's draft made the Suez and Panama Canals and the Pas-de-Calais Strait impassable for it.

As it turned out later, exactly those numbers that we mentioned above became not only a plus, but also a minus of this giant. When fully loaded, the tanker sank almost 30 meters under water. You probably noticed this in the photographs.

Due to its size, the tanker could not pass through the Suez and Panama canals, and it was also prohibited from passing through the English Channel, since there was a high probability of running aground.

In 1981, after all the work to increase the size was completed, Seawise Giant finally began to earn back the money invested in it. His route ran from the oil fields of the Middle East to the United States and back.

However, the Iran-Iraq War that was taking place at that time made its own adjustments to the life of the tanker. Since 1986, the ship has been used as a floating terminal for storage and further transshipment of Iranian oil. But this did not save the ship; on May 14, 1988, an Iraqi fighter attacked the Seawise Giant. An Iraqi fighter fired an Exocet anti-ship missile at a unique tanker, which was then almost in the Persian Gulf (more precisely, in the Strait of Hormuz, lying between Iran and the UAE, leading to the Gulf).

The tanker received significant damage and lost all its oil. An uncontrollable fire broke out on the ship and the crew abandoned it. 3 people died. The tanker ran aground near the Iranian island of Larak and was declared sunk.

Immediately after the end of the Gulf War, the sunken Seawise Giant was purchased by the Norwegian company Norman International, most likely for reasons of prestige, raised and renamed Happy Giant. After being raised, in August 1988, she raised the Norwegian flag and was towed to Singapore, where she underwent repair and restoration work at the Keppel Company shipyard. In particular, about 3.7 thousand tons of hull structures were replaced. Before entering service in October 1991, ULCC was sold to the Norwegian shipping company Loki Stream AS, owned by Jørgen Jahre, for US$39 million, and left the shipyard under the new name Jahre Viking.

The next changes in the life of the giant ship happened in 2004. After the adoption of laws prohibiting the entry of tankers without a double side into the ports of the USA and Europe in 2004, Jahre Viking once again changed its owner and name. In March of that year, it was purchased by the Norwegian company First Olsen Tankers Pte. Ltd. and renamed Knock Nevis. From that moment on, his career as a transport ship ended. In Dubai, the ULCC was converted into a crude oil storage tanker (FPSO - Floating Production Storage & Offloading) and anchored at the Al Shaheed offshore oil field off the coast of Qatar.

In 2009, the tanker once again changed its owner and name. Mont, as the ship was now called, sets off on its last voyage. His destination is India, or rather world famous Alang ship graveyard. There, over the course of several months, the tanker is cut into pieces and sent for smelting.

It was sold to Amber Development Corporation for further disposal. The new owner renamed Knock Nevis Mont and raised the Sierra Leonean flag on it. In December 2009, he made his last crossing to the shores of India. On January 4, 2010, Mont was washed ashore near the Indian city of Alang, Gujarat, where its hull was cut into metal for a year.

Think about it: the giant’s braking distance is 10.2 kilometers, and its turning circle exceeds 3.7 kilometers! So, among other ships scurrying around these waters, this supertanker is like a bull in a china shop.

When the tanker needs to be brought to the oil terminal, it is taken in tow and pulled very, very slowly. It is easy to imagine what can happen if there is an error in maneuvering a ship weighing almost a million tons.

Technical characteristics of the supertanker Knock Nevis

Commissioned: 1976

Withdrawn from the fleet: 01/04/2010

Length: 458.45 m

Width: 68.86 m

Draft: 24, 611 meters

Power plant: steam turbines with a total capacity of 50,000 hp. With.

Speed: 13-16 knots

Crew: 40 people.

Weight of transported cargo: 564,763 tons

The only thing left of the world's largest ship is its 36-ton anchor, which is kept in the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.

There was another giant. The tanker was produced in 1976 - it took 10 months, as well as approximately 70,000 tons of metal and cash in the amount of $130,000,000. Moreover, the tanker was built according to the original design, and there was no modernization during its use. This grandiose vessel made five voyages annually, but since 1982 it began to stand idle many times, and in 1985 its owners decided to sell the tanker for scrap. This ship was truly impressive in its size. It included forty tanks, the total volume of which was approximately 667,000 m3.

It was approximately 414 meters long and 63 meters wide. The deadweight was over 550,000 tons. Oil was pumped here using four pumps. This powerful tanker was driven by four steam turbines, each with a power of 64,800 hp. The speed developed by the tanker was 16 knots. During the day it consumed 330 tons of fuel. The crew working on the tanker consisted of 16 people.

Following the disposal of the giant, the largest supertankers are the four double-hulled TI-class ships: Oceania, Africa, Asia and Europe. They have a length of 380 m and surpass their competitors in deadweight - 441,585 tons.

A representative of the Hellespont Fairfax series of tankers was built in 2002 for the Canadian shipping company Hellespont Group at the Daewoo Heavy Industry Ltd shipyard in South Korea, and is one of the largest tankers in the world in the ULCC (ultra-large oil tanker) classification. Next to it, an aircraft carrier will seem dwarfed, and in one voyage it will deliver enough crude oil to fill the fuel tanks of cars in a country like Canada to capacity. The creation of the Hellespont Fairfax tanker cost the owners $100 million. He became a miracle open seas and oceans. It was built by thousands of workers over a year and a half.

"Hellespont Fairfax" is a new generation of double-hulled tankers. Its size is shocking. It's as long as four football fields. Running around the deck is like a mini-marathon. With a reinforced double hull to prevent leakage, the vessel is capable of carrying seven times its own weight in oil. Assembling the tanker was a mammoth exercise in engineering. While the reason for a large ship is profit, behind the double hull is concern for environment. In the 1990s, legislators insisted that all new tankers must be built with two hulls. The outer casing absorbs the force during a collision, while the inner casing contains dangerous cargo. Thus began the evolution of ships that led to the creation of the Hellespont tankers.

A total of four identical Hellespont supertankers were built, but they already had different names and the owners. In 2004, two vessels, Hellespont Fairfax and Hellespont Tapa, were acquired by Shipholding Group and were soon renamed TI Oceania and TI Africa respectively. At this time, the Belgian company Euronav H.B. acquired two other tankers, Hellespont Alhambra and Hellespont Metropolis, which were later renamed TI Asia and TI Europe.

Modern tankers owe our geographical location. Oil is found on the Arabian Peninsula, and the people who need it most are the people North America and Europe. And a fleet of tankers has created a “bridge” between countries for more than half a century.

There are not many places in the world for such supertankers to come and unload. The route of the tanker Hellespont Fairfax began at the terminals of Saudi Arabia, then through the Cape of Good Hope to the Gulf of Mexico to the terminals in Houston. He covers this distance in five weeks. After unloading, the ship sails across the Atlantic to the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea, then through the Suez Canal to Saudi Arabia. The draft of a fully loaded vessel does not allow movement through the canal. Such delivery costs 400 thousand dollars, but the capabilities of the ship outweigh the costs.

There are twenty-one tanks on board the tanker. The total capacity is 3.2 million barrels - enough to fill 15 thousand oil tankers. The tanks are divided for commercial reasons. They can transport different grades of crude oil. A special coating is applied to the vertical walls, which prevents sticky and greasy oil from sticking. The piping system is located on the upper deck to ensure that leaks are detected early and do not take up valuable cargo space.

The nine-cylinder and highly efficient engine was installed on this vessel for the first time. Conventional ships have seven cylinders, but the Hellespont tanker has greater power requirements. Crankshafts with pistons are directly connected to the propeller shaft, no neutral, first or other gears. Many ships have two or more propellers; this tanker has one with a diameter of 10.5 meters and a weight of 104 tons.

The vessel is automated to such an extent that only one person can keep it on course. In addition, all systems are duplicated, since on long voyages the tanker is far from repair workers. Supertanker captains belong to a select group of seafarers, only the best sailors in the world are ready for such work - he is responsible for the safety of the cargo and for the lives of people. Video cameras are installed on board at five points to better review vessel. For the crew, the cabins are equipped in European style and there is even a small swimming pool. The ship will need 4.5 kilometers to come to a complete stop.

Basically, supertankers are unloaded through a pipeline several kilometers from the shore. As an addition to the safety of the ship from fire in the tanks, a fire extinguishing system is installed on board, which, between the hulls of the ship, distributes oxygen-depleted exhaust gases from the ship's engine, which does not allow the fire to develop, and over time it disappears due to the lack of a combustion source .

The outer part of the deck is painted dazzling white due to excess heat and evaporation of valuable cargo. The crew is provided with extra dark glasses. The hull of the vessel is treated with seven layers of anti-corrosion and bonding coating from hitchhikers (clams, shells and others). The inside of the case is also coated with a protective anti-abrasive coating to combat rust. The vessel's service life is 40 years.-

The Hellespont tankers truly became one of the largest ships in the history of shipbuilding. There are enough innovations put into them to be considered superships.