home Job Knock nevis. The oil supertanker Knock Nevis is the largest ship in the world

Knock nevis. The oil supertanker Knock Nevis is the largest ship in the world

The tanker best known as Knock Nevis, was the largest ship ever built by mankind. 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.

Japanese shipyards received an order to build the largest tanker in the world in 1974. And five years later, in 1979, a gigantic ship, amazing in its size, was launched. 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.

As a result, the dimensions of the world's largest ship took on the following values: length - 458.45 meters, width - 68.86 meters, mass of transported cargo - 564,763 tons, weight of the ship itself - 81,879 tons, steering wheel weight - 230 tons, propeller weight - 50 tons.

As it turned out later, these figures became not only a plus, but also a minus of this giant. When fully loaded, the tanker sank 29.8 meters under water (approximately the height of a nine-story building). Just compare two photographs, the first one shows the ship loaded, the second one shows it empty.

IN good weather the ship could accelerate to 30 km/h, but in this case it would take about 9 kilometers to come to a complete stop. Yes, and just make a U-turn for a ship like this gigantic size it was not easy, the turning radius without the help of tugs was 3.2 km.

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. The tanker received significant damage and lost all the oil on board (it should be noted that the thickness of the sides giant ship was only 3.5 cm, nothing else separated thousands of tons of oil from the surrounding sea world) and was out of commission for three years.

During the repairs, the ship had 3,700 tons of damaged steel replaced and its name changed for the first time. Seawise Giant became Happy Giant. However, even before the completion of the restoration work, the tanker changed its owner; it was bought by a Norwegian company for $39 million. Therefore, the ship left the Singapore docks (where the repairs actually took place) under the name Jahre Viking.
The next changes in the life of the giant ship happened in 2004. The United States and Europe have passed laws banning the use of single-wall tankers for transporting oil and most big ship found himself out of work in the world. Jahre Viking is renamed Knock Nevis and from now on is used as a floating oil storage facility.

The tanker, best known as the Knock Nevis, was the largest ship ever built by mankind. 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.

In good weather, the ship could accelerate to 30 km/h, but in this case it would take about 9 kilometers to come to a complete stop. And simply making a turn for a ship of such gigantic size was not easy; the turning radius without the help of tugs was 3.2 km.

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. The tanker received significant damage, lost all the oil on board (it should be noted that the thickness of the sides of the giant ship was only 3.5 cm, nothing else separated thousands of tons of oil from the surrounding sea world) and was out of commission for three years.

During the repairs, the ship had 3,700 tons of damaged steel replaced and its name changed for the first time. Seawise Giant became Happy Giant. However, even before the completion of the restoration work, the tanker changed its owner; it was bought by a Norwegian company for $39 million. Therefore, the ship left the Singapore docks (where the repairs actually took place) under the name Jahre Viking.
The next changes in the life of the giant ship happened in 2004. The USA and Europe passed laws banning the use of single-walled tankers for transporting oil, and the largest ship in the world found itself out of work. Jahre Viking is renamed Knock Nevis and from now on is used as a floating oil storage facility.

Knock Nevis is the most big tanker in the world, also known as Jahre Viking, Happy Giant, Seawise Giant and Mont. The oil tanker was designed and built by the Japanese in 1974-1975, long remaining the largest ship ever built. In 2010 " sea giant"was taken out of service and subsequently dismantled for scrap.

Record holder

The tanker Knock Nevis was the largest ship, 458 meters long, built in the 20th century. It had a volume of 260,851 register tons (RT), corresponding to 738,208.3 m 3 . Only in 2013 South Korea The Prelude FLNG supertanker was manufactured, whose length was 30 meters longer than the previous record holder. However, in terms of displacement it is significantly inferior to the giant from Japan (600,000 tons versus 657,000).

This ship is so large that four football fields can fit on its deck. Its stopping distance is about 3.5 miles (5.6 km), and with a full load of sediment in the water reaches 80 feet (more than 24 meters).

After the Exxon Valdez tanker disaster in Alaskan waters in 1989, the US government decided to use double-bottomed vessels to transport petroleum products. Ships that do not meet these requirements are not allowed into US territorial waters. This initiative was supported by many countries. Manufacturing hulls of this design is very technically difficult, so some of the record characteristics of the Knock Nevis tanker will not be broken for a long time.

In the foreseeable future, “floating city” type vessels may exceed the tonnage of the Japanese heavyweight. Some of the city-ship projects are already entering the implementation stage, but their practical implementation will require years and billions of dollars in investment.

Comparative data of the tanker Knock Nevis

A ship designed by Country engineers rising sun, is one of the largest ships in the history of civilization. Even the mighty aircraft carriers seem less intimidating against its background. Comparative characteristics among its fellow supertankers:

Knock Nevis (1975-2010): displacement - 657,018 tons, volume - 260,851 RT, length - 458.5 m.
Prelude FLNG (2013): displacement - 600,000 tons, volume - 300,000 RT, length - 488 m.
Pierre Guillaumat (1977-1983): displacement - 555,051 tons, volume - 274,838 RT, length - 414 m.
Prairial (1979-2003): displacement - 554,974 tons, volume - 274,826 RT, length - 414 m.
Battilus and Bellamya (1976-1986): displacement - 553,662 tons, volume - 273,550 RT, length - 414 m.
Esso Atlantic and Esso Pacific (1977-2002): displacement - 516,000 tons, volume - 259,532 RT, length - 406 m.

The newest TI class tankers, produced since 2002, are slightly inferior in performance to the “old guard”. Their displacement is “only” 509,484 tons, volume - 234,006 RT, length - 380 m. However, building larger vessels is not always advisable, since they will not be able to pass through the English Channel, Suez and Panama Canals.

Creation

Construction of the tanker Knock Nevis began in 1974 by the Japanese company Sumitomo Heavy Industries in Osaka for the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. However, due to the oil embargo in the 1970s, the billionaire was declared bankrupt before the ship was even built.

The rights to the giant ship were bought by the Hong Kong shipowner Tang. He instructed the builders to increase its length and increase its carrying capacity from 480,000 to 564,763 tons. Since the tanker was actually already assembled, it was necessary to cut the hull in half and weld an additional section. Japanese specialists brilliantly coped with an unparalleled task. After launching in 1979, the ship was named Seawise Giant.

Specifications:

Vessel type - oil tanker.
Dimensions (length, width) - 458.45/68.86 m.
The height of the sides above the waterline at maximum load is 24.6 m.
Displacement - 657,018.5 tons.
Deadweight (full load capacity including cargo, crew, food and water supplies) - 564,763 tons.
Power power plants- 50,000 l. With.
Cruising speed - 30 km/h (16 knots).
The number of crew members is 40 people.
Braking distance - 5.6 km.

Start of operation

Initially, the Knock Nevis tanker delivered oil from the Gulf of Mexico fields and Caribbean Sea in USA. It was later transferred to the Persian Gulf to export oil from Iran. In the 1980s, war broke out between neighbors Iran and Iraq. In 1986, the ship was attacked by Iraqi aircraft while moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Several Exocet missiles hit the ship. The tanker suffered enormous damage during the attack. It eventually sank in the shallow waters of Khark Island.

Renaissance

It would seem that the fate of the Seawise Giant was predetermined. However, a few months after the end of the Iran-Iraq War, in August 1988, Norman International bought the tanker resting at the bottom of the sea. Specialists managed to lift it and tow it to the Keppel shipyard in Singapore. The ship was restored and renamed the Happy Giant in honor of the miraculous rescue.

Experts note that such a costly operation to lift and repair the supertanker was not caused by economic feasibility, but by the prestige of owning the world's largest ship. By the way, almost all record-breaking supertankers built in the 70s were scrapped by the early 2000s. The oil tanker outlived its “colleagues” by a good ten years.

Further fate

In 1999, a deal was carried out to transfer the tanker Knock Nevis to Norway. In March 2004, she was sent by her new owner (First Olsen Tankers) to the Dubai dry docks, where the ship was converted into a floating oil storage and offloading terminal. Under the name Knock Nevis, he began working in the Al Shaheen field in Qatari waters.

In December 2009, the tanker Knock Nevis was sold to Indian processors for disposal. The ship sailed to its last mooring place under the name Mont. Upon arrival, the ship was deliberately grounded off the coast of the Indian state of Gujarat in the waters of the port of Alang. On January 4, 2010, the last official photograph of Knock Nevis was taken, after which dismantling of the legend of the seas began.

As a reminder of the existence of the giant supertanker, its anchor, weighing 36 tons, is exhibited as a valuable exhibit in the Maritime Museum of Hong Kong (People's Republic of China).

The story of the Titanic did not end man's dream of grandeur and grandeur. The huge ships of our time are already breaking our framework of thinking. The most big ship the world calls the 450-meter supertanker “Knock Nevis”. This is exactly what we will talk about.

Information about the largest ship in the world

. Load capacity - 565 thousand tons
. Length - 458.45 m
. Width - 68.86 m
. At maximum load it settles to 24.611 m
. Steam turbine power - 50,000 horsepower
. Speed - 16 knots (30 km/h)
. Braking distance - about 10 km
. Crew - 40 people

The largest ship in the world is the supertanker Knock Nevis. Photo: Gérard Né/aukevisser.nl

. Due to its impressive size, the tanker could not navigate through the Suez and Panama Canals, as well as the English Channel. In addition, not every port is capable of mooring a vessel of this size.
. To turn around, the ship needs at least 3.7 kilometers of space.
. Compared to this supertanker, the famous Titanic is very small - Knock Nevis is 189 m longer than it.
. In tech circles, Knock Nevis has been dubbed the ULCC (Ultra Large Capacity Carrier).
. The ship changed its name five times: Seawise Giant, Happy Giant, Jahre Viking, Knock Nevis, Mont. However, the common name is “Knock Nevis”.
. Despite the problems associated with size, transporting oil in such huge quantities turned out to be more economical than transporting it in conventional tankers.
. The total cost of all oil transported by the ship is about $200 million
. During the repairs, shipyard workers needed to replace 3,700 tons of damaged hull.
. It is noteworthy that 565 thousand tons of transported oil are separated from the sea by only 3.5 centimeters of steel (side thickness).
. It took a whole year to dismantle the ship.
. The 36-ton Knock Nevis anchor was preserved and sent as an exhibit to the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.

The largest ship in the world, Knock Nevis. Photo: Gérard Né/aukevisser.nl

The history of the largest ship in the world

Knock Nevis was built by the Japanese company (Built by the Japanese company) Sumitomo Heavy Industries in 1979. But even before the ship went to sea, its owner went bankrupt.

A few years later, the new owner ordered the ship to be enlarged. The already quite impressive carrying capacity of 480,000 tons (for comparison, modern tankers can handle 280,000 tons) has been increased. To do this, the tanker was cut in half and cargo compartments were added. So Knock Nevis was able to transport 565,000 tons of cargo and became unrivaled.

In 1981, the tanker was ready. At first, he transported oil from the Middle East to the shores of the United States.

In 1986, during the Iran-Iraq war, he was on a mission to transship and store Iranian oil. However, the tanker did not escape the evil fate of the war: while the ship was in the waters of the Persian Gulf, it was fired upon by an Iraqi fighter, and the Knock Nevis received significant damage.

After the war, the tanker was purchased by a Norwegian company. It was towed to the Keppel shipyard in Singapore for repairs.

The largest ship in the world is the supertanker Knock Nevis. Photo: Roland Grard/aukevisser.nl

In 2004, the largest ship in the world was converted into a floating oil train. The reason for this was the law prohibiting the transportation of oil by single-hull tankers.

The supertanker ended its life in 2010 off the coast of the Indian city of Alang, where it was disposed of.

The Knock Nevis goes down in history not only as the largest ship in the world, but also as the largest self-propelled man-made object ever built.

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 called 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.

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 perestroika greatest length the vessel was 458.45, summer draft load line- 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.

The vessel was intended and used to transport crude oil from the Middle East to the United States around the Cape Good Hope. During one such voyage during the Iran-Iraq War, on May 14, 1986, the tanker was attacked by an Iraqi fighter. Seawise Giant was transiting the Strait of Hormuz with a cargo of Iranian crude oil. An Exocet anti-ship missile hit the tanker on the left side in the midship area. 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.

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.

By 2010, Knock Nevis was approaching its end of operation. 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.

One of the giant's 36-ton anchors was preserved and is now on display Maritime Museum in Hong Kong.