Tanker Knock Nevis. Knock Nevis, the largest ship ever built by mankind

Knock Nevis (formerly known as the Seawise Giant, Happy Giant and Jahre Viking) is the largest ship ever built on Earth.

Oil has long been the most sensitive nerve of the entire world industry. Often, "black gold" is best transported not by land, but by water. The path followed by ships of this type is called "oil". Already in the 19th century, when coal was the main raw material, crude oil was transported in wooden and zinc barrels in special holds. sailing ships intended for the transport of oil.

The very first offshore tanker to carry oil in a tank with hulled walls was the sailing ship Atlantic, built in 1863. This type of tanker, the tank for liquid cargo is the hull, which has survived to this day. By the beginning of the First World War, sea tankers already accounted for 3% of the world merchant fleet.

Every year the demand for oil is growing. This process is associated with the continuous development of heavy industry and the emergence of an increasing number of motor vehicles. Accordingly, the scale of oil production is increasing and the requirements for its transportation are being tightened. I doubt that there will be ships and vessels whose size and displacement would have the same rapid development trend as tankers.

The development of shipbuilding of oil tankers takes place taking into account the features and advantages of supertankers, since when transporting oil to sea vessel which can hold more than 100,000 tons of oil, transport costs are not much higher than using a tanker with a carrying capacity of 16,000 tons. Today, large tankers and supertankers are fully automated and operated by relatively small crews. Even the longest transportation of valuable cargo is much cheaper than the operation of a conventional ship. And one of these is Knock Nevis.

The history of this sea vessel began in Japan in 1976 (some sources indicate 1975) at the shipyards of Sumitomo Heavy Industries. Then the oil tanker "Knock Nevis" was "born" under the modest serial number 1016 and was not so big. Soon the cargo ship was sold to a certain Greek shipowner, who gave the oil tanker its first real name "Seawise Giant". Its carrying capacity was 480,000 tons (typical modern oil tankers hold 280,000 tons). Three years later, the freighter was sold to a new owner who ordered an enlargement. Japanese shipbuilders cut and built up the tanker, which took a lot of time. Finally, in 1981, the supertanker was ready to go again. Welded additional sections of the hull increased its deadweight to 564,763 tons.

The supertanker Knock Nevis could easily take on board the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower. But its cargo is $195 million worth of oil. The huge ship survived several owners and is already the fourth name "Knock Nevis". He was shot with rockets and cut in half. And yet - for more than 20 years, it remains the largest ship on the planet.

"Braking distance" of the supertanker "Knock Nevis" 5000 meters.

Specifications oil tanker "Knock Nevis":

Length - 458.4 m;
Width - 68.8 m;
Draft (full) - 24.6 m;
Design displacement - 657,018 tons;
Deadweight - 564763 tons;
Power plant - steam turbines;
Power - 50000 l. With.;
Speed - 13 knots;
Crew - 40 people.

Its dimensions were: 458.45 meters long and 69 meters wide, which in the past made it the largest ship in the world. Even after the commissioning of the Prelude FLNG supertanker gas plant, it will remain the largest vessel in history with a displacement of 657,018 tons.

By 2010, the end of operation of Knock Nevis approached. It was sold to Amber Development Corporation for further disposal.

The new owner renamed Knock Nevis to Mont and raised the flag of Sierra Leone 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 has been preserved and is now on display at the Maritime Museum in Hong Kong.

Knock Nevis is the largest ship ever built on Earth.

Knock Nevis is the largest 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, and has long been the largest ship ever built. In 2010, the "sea giant" was decommissioned and subsequently dismantled for scrap.

record holder

Tanker Knock Nevis was the largest vessel built in the 20th century at 458 meters. It had a volume of 260,851 register tons (RT), which corresponds to 738,208.3 m 3 . Only in 2013 in South Korea The Prelude FLNG supertanker was manufactured, whose length exceeded the previous record holder by 30 meters. However, in terms of displacement, it significantly loses to the giant from Japan (600,000 tons versus 657,000).

This ship is so large that four can fit on deck. football fields. Its braking distance is about 3.5 miles (5.6 km), and when fully loaded, the draft in the water reaches 80 feet (more than 24 meters).

After the catastrophic accident of the tanker Exxon Valdez in the waters of Alaska in 1989, the US government decided to use ships with a double bottom to transport oil products. Ships that do not meet these requirements are not allowed into US territorial waters. This initiative was supported by many countries. The manufacture of hulls of this design is very difficult in technical terms, so some of the record-breaking characteristics of the Knock Nevis tanker will not be broken for a long time.

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

Comparative data of tanker Knock Nevis

A ship designed by the engineers of the Country rising sun, is one of 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 terms of the characteristics of the "old guard". Their displacement is “only” 509,484 tons, volume - 234,006 RT, length - 380 m. However, it is not always advisable to build larger ships, since they will not be able to pass through the English Channel, Suez and Panama canals.

Creation

The construction of the tanker Knock Nevis began in 1974 by the Japanese company Sumitomo Heavy Industries in the city of Osaka for the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. However, due to an oil embargo in the 1970s, the billionaire was declared bankrupt even before the ship was 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, the hull had to be cut in half and an additional section welded in. Japanese specialists brilliantly coped with the 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, taking into account 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 tanker Knock Nevis delivered oil from fields in the Gulf of Mexico and caribbean in the USA. It was later transferred to the Persian Gulf to export oil from Iran. In the 1980s, a 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 Hark Island.

rebirth

It would seem that the fate of the Seawise Giant was sealed. However, a few months after the end of the Iran-Iraq war, in August 1988, Norman International bought a sea tanker resting at the bottom. 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 a 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 carrier outlived its "colleagues" for a good ten years.

Further fate

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

In December 2009, the tanker Knock Nevis was sold to Indian refiners for scrapping. To the place of the last mooring, the ship sailed 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 photo of Knock Nevis was taken, after which the dismantling of the legend of the seas began.

As a reminder of the giant supertanker's existence, its 36-tonne anchor is on display at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, People's Republic of China.

The tanker best known as Knock Nevis was the most big ship ever built by mankind. During its existence, this supergiant has changed several names: Seawise Giant, Happy Giant, Jahre Viking, Knock Nevis, Mont. Moreover, he managed to change not only the name, but also the dimensions, as well as the scope of its application.

In 1974, Japanese shipyards received an order to build the largest tanker in the world. And five years later, in 1979, a giant ship was launched into the water, striking in its size. But the Greek shipowner, apparently, thought this was not enough. And he ordered an increase in the size of the tanker. After that, Seawise Giant (as it was then called) was cut in half, and additional sections were added to the middle.

As a result, the dimensions of the largest ship in the world took the following values: length - 458.45 meters, width - 68.86 meters, weight of the transported cargo - 564763 tons, weight of the ship itself - 81879 tons, rudder weight - 230 tons, propeller weight - 50 tons.

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

In good weather, the ship could accelerate to 30 km / h, but in this case, it would take about 9 kilometers to stop completely. And it was not easy to just make a U-turn for a ship of such gigantic dimensions, the turning radius without the help of tugboats was 3.2 km.

In 1981, after completing all the work to increase the size, Seawise Giant finally began to work off 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 the storage and further reloading 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 order for three years.

During repairs, the ship was replaced with 3,700 tons of damaged steel and changed its name for the first time. Seawise Giant has become Happy Giant. However, even before the restoration work was completed, the owner of the tanker changed, and a Norwegian company bought it for $39 million. Therefore, the docks of Singapore (where the repair actually took place) the ship left under the name Jahre Viking.
The next changes in the life of the giant ship happened in 2004. The United States and Europe passed laws prohibiting the use of single-walled oil tankers and the most big ship in the world was out of work. Jahre Viking is renamed Knock Nevis and has since been used as a floating oil storage facility.

Oil has long been the most sensitive nerve of the entire world industry. Often, "black gold" is best transported not by land, but by water. The path followed by ships of this type is called "oil". Already in the 19th century, when coal was the main raw material, crude oil was transported in wooden and zinc barrels in special holds. sailing ships intended for oil.

by the most first offshore tanker for the transportation of oil in a tank, the walls of which were cladding, became " Atlantic", built in 1863. This type tanker, the tank for liquid cargo is the hull, which has survived to this day. By the beginning of the First World War offshore tankers already accounted for 3% of the world merchant fleet.

Every year the demand for oil is growing. This process is associated with the continuous development of heavy industry and the emergence of an increasing number of motor vehicles. Accordingly, the scale and requirements for its transportation are increasing. I doubt that there will be ones in which the size and displacement would have the same rapid development trend as tankers.

Shipbuilding development oil tankers takes into account the features and benefits supertankers, since when transporting oil on a ship that can hold more than 100,000 tons of oil, transportation costs are not much higher than when using a tanker with a carrying capacity of 16,000 tons. Today big tankers and supertankers fully automated and operated by a relatively small crew. Even the longest transportation of valuable cargo is much cheaper than the operation of a conventional vessel. And one of those is Knock Nevis».

The history of this sea vessel began in Japan in 1976 (some sources indicate 1975) at the shipyards of the company " Sumitomo Heavy Industries. Then oil tanker "Knock Nevis""born" under the modest serial number 1016 and was not so big. Soon the cargo ship was sold to a certain Greek shipowner, who gave oil tanker first real name Seawise Giant». Its carrying capacity was 480,000 tons (typical modern oil tankers hold 280,000 tons). Three years later, the freighter was sold to a new owner who ordered an enlargement. Japanese shipbuilders cut and build tanker which took a lot of time. Finally in 1981 supertanker was ready to go again. Welded additional sections of the hull increased its deadweight to 564,763 tons.

Specifications of oil tanker super-tanker "Knock Nevis":

Displacement - 260581 tons;
Deadweight - 564763 tons;
Length - 458.4 m;
Width - 68.8 m;
Draft - 24.6 m;
Power plant - steam turbines with a capacity of 50,000 hp;
Travel speed - 13 knots;
Crew - 40 people;

Supertanker "Knock Nevis" could easily take on board the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower. But its cargo is $195 million worth of oil. Huge ship survived several owners and is already the fourth name " Knock Nevis". He was shot with rockets and cut in half. And yet - for more than 20 years, he remains most big ship on the planet. During your life supertanker changed several owners and changed names more than once: first - to " happy giant", then to " Jahre Viking".

TANKER "KNOCK NEVIS" - PAST AND PRESENT

tanker «Seawise Giant»

tanker "Jahre Viking"

tanker "Jahre Viking" at sea

supertanker "Knock Nevis"

the stopping distance of the Knock Nevis supertanker is 5 kilometers

This year supertanker visited one of the shipyards in Dubai, received new equipment and turned into a so-called "floating storage unit" (Floating Storage and Offloading unit) for oil. Wherein cargo ship renamed to " Knock Nevis". Having served a little tanker was scrapped and sent to one of the Indian ports.

Dismantlement of the tanker "Knock Nevis"

But an increase in deadweight has also negative side: due to excessive draft supertankers access to some seas, passage through straits and channels is closed, which greatly limits their capabilities.

As a rule, oil is shipped offshore in oil terminals using oil pipelines or lighters. To reduce viscosity and facilitate the unloading process, heating pipelines are laid between the tanks.

Oil poses a serious threat to the ocean environment. In 1973, within the framework of the Marine Consultative Organization, an international convention was adopted, which defined the design for all types of tankers. Separate cargo containers oil tankers must not exceed 30,000 cubic meters. Tankers should have a double hull and technical devices to improve the ship's maneuverability.

Let's return to our giant.

The greatest invention of mankind is oil tanker. The word itself comes from English word"tank" - a tank. sea tanker this is a ship designed for the carriage of liquid cargo (oil, acid, vegetable oil, molten sulfur, etc.) in ship's tanks (tanks). These sea vessels come in various sizes, but among them there is a special type - supertankers. These are the most big ships among tankers of this type. They can carry 50 percent more oil per voyage than others, and only 15 percent more operating costs for bunkering, crew, and insurance, allowing the oil companies chartering the vessel to increase their profits and save savings. There will always be a demand for such oil tankers.

Supertankers- a product of the scientific and technological revolution of our time. They did not have any specific inventor, and with the development of science and technology, their creation became possible. On the oil tankers the longitudinal hull framing system was tested, the engine room and all superstructures were moved to the stern. And most importantly, during their construction, electric welding began to be widely used in shipbuilding, which later became the only way to connect metal hull structures.

Knock Nevis, a supertanker that has gone by the names Jahre Viking, Happy Giant and Seawise Giant at various times.

Knock Nevis has a length of 458.45 meters, so to turn the tanker in reverse side you need at least 2 km if the turn was carried out with the help of tugs. The vessel has a width of 68.8 meters, to give a better idea - this is the approximate width of a football field.

On the upper deck The ship could accommodate 5.5 football fields.

This is the largest operating ship ever created in the history of the planet. It also has its drawbacks, which, in fact, predetermined the short existence of the tanker. Its draft of 24.6 meters is, for comparison, more than a standard 7-storey residential building.

The ship could not pass the Suez and Panama Canals due to its huge dimensions, moreover, it was not allowed to pass through the English Channel, due to the risk of running aground.

The Seawise Giant was the largest ship built in the 20th century. But the giant was built before the era of double-hulled tankers, which began with the Exxon Valdez accident. It is unlikely that new tankers will surpass the size of Seawise Giant, most likely, floating cities will intercept the palm - real floating cities, with housing, offices, and everything else that is available in the city. Some projects of such vessels are already being developed.

Seawise Giant began to be built in 1979 by order of a Greek tycoon, but it went bankrupt as a result of the oil embargo of the 70s. The ship was bought by the Hong Kong magnate Tung, and financed its completion. However, Tung insisted that the deadweight be increased from 480,000 to 564,763 tons, making the Seawise Giant the world's largest ship. The tanker entered service in 1981, and initially transported oil from fields in the Gulf of Mexico. Then he was transferred to transport oil from Iran. There, in the Persian Gulf, he was sunk.

In 1986, during the Iran-Iraq war, in the Strait of Hormuz, the tanker was attacked and sunk by Iraqi Air Force aircraft with Exocet missiles. An Iraqi fighter fired an Exocet anti-ship missile at a unique tanker, which was then located almost in the Persian Gulf (or rather, in the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, leading to the Gulf).

It sank in shallow water near Kharg Island, due to which in August 1988 it was raised and taken for repairs at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore. new owner Norman International. Ship repairers replaced 3.7 thousand tons of crumpled steel.

Most likely, the company bought, raised and repaired the tanker mainly for the sake of prestige. The refurbished Seawise Giant was renamed the Happy Giant. By 1999, he again changed the owner and name - he was bought by the Norwegian Jahare Wallem and renamed Jahre Viking.

In March 2004, the giant got a new owner, First Olsen Tankers. Times have already changed, and given the age of the tanker, it was decided to convert it into FSO - a floating storage and loading complex, at Dubai shipyards. After the conversion, he received the name Knock Nevis, and was then delivered as an FSO to the Al Shaheen field in the waters of Qatar.

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 liters. With.
Speed: 13-16 knots
Crew: 40 people.

Weight of transported cargo: 564,763 tons

Another 6 ULCC (Ultra Large Oil Tanker) class tankers have surpassed the 500,000 dwt mark:
Battilus 553.662 dwt 1976 - 1985 (decommissioned)
Bellamya 553,662 dwt 1976 - 1986 (decommissioned)
Pierre Guillaumat 555,051 dwt 1977 - 1983 (decommissioned)
Esso Atlantic 516,000 dwt 1977 - 2002 (decommissioned)
Esso Pacific 516 dwt 1977 - 2002 (decommissioned)
Prairial 554,974 dwt 1979 - 2003 (decommissioned)

Think about it: the braking distance of the giant is 10.2 kilometers, and the turning circle exceeds 3.7 kilometers! So, among other ships scurrying around these waters, this supertanker is like an elephant 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 a ship weighing almost a million tons is mistaken in maneuvering.

During its life, the supergiant tanker changed several owners and changed its name more than once - first to Happy Giant, then to Jahre Viking.

In 2009, the ship was transported to India to Alang, where it was forcibly stranded for disposal.

In 2010, the ship was scrapped.

At present

One of this class sea vessels was oil tanker« Batillus". This cargo ship was created, from start to finish, according to the original project without additional modernization during operation. Nautical tanker from the moment of laying it was built in 10 months, and about 70,000 tons of steel were spent on construction. The construction cost the owner $130 million.

Technical characteristics of the tanker "Batillus";
Length - 414.2 m;
Width - 63 m;
Draft - 28.5 m;
Deadweight - 655000 tons;
Displacement - 275276 tons;

Power point- four steam turbines Steel Laval» capacity of each 64800 l. With.;
Speed - 16 knots;
Crew - 26 people;

Clickable

sources
http://korabley.net
http://www.ermoshka.ru
http://mostinfo.su