The oil supertanker Knock Nevis is the largest ship in the world. Megatanker Knock Nevis drinks up deposits in one gulp The largest ship in the world knock nevis

Over the years, the ship in question plied the ocean under the names Seawise Giant, Happy Giant, Jahre Viking, Mont, but he is best known under the name Knock Nevis. And it is this ship that is considered the largest ship in the history of navigation.

In 2009, the tanker once again changed its owner and name. Mont

Here's what they write about the largest ship on the grandstroy blog.

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.

Construction order the largest tanker in the world Japanese shipyards received it 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. Then, Seawise Giant(as it was called then) was cut in half and additional sections were added to the middle.

Eventually, dimensions of the world's largest ship The following values were adopted: length - 458.45 meters, width - 68.86 meters, mass of transported cargo - 564,763 tons, weight of the vessel 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.

It is not surprising that with such a draft, the tanker could not navigate either the Suez or Panama Canals (the length and width would also not allow using the Panama Canal; the Seawise Giant exceeds the maximum permissible dimensions of the locks by 1.5 times).

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 turned into 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 occurred 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 renamed to Knock Nevis and since that time it has been used as a floating oil storage facility.

In the photo, Knock Nevis is the largest ship in the history of navigation.

That was the name of the ship now, setting off on its last voyage. His destination is India, or rather the world famous Alang ship graveyard. There, over the course of several months, the tanker is cut into pieces and sent for smelting. The only thing left of the world's largest ship is its 36-ton anchor, which is kept in the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.

By type of ship, the largest ship in the world is a tanker. A tanker is a sea or river vessel designed to transport liquid cargo. Its body is a rigid metal frame to which a metal casing is attached. Partitions divide the hull into compartments called tanks. They are filled with a variety of liquid cargo. The volume of one such compartment—tank—varies within very wide limits: from 600 cubic meters for a small-tonnage tanker to 10,000 or more cubic meters for a large-tonnage tanker.

Tankers usually transport oil and its refined products. However, it is possible to transport other liquid cargo: wine, methyl alcohol, coconut oil, vegetable oil. This depends on what type of liquid cargo is being exported.

Middle Eastern countries export oil and petroleum products, Senegal exports vegetable oil, and Indonesia exports coconut oil.

One of the main operational characteristics of a tanker is its deadweight. It represents the difference between the displacement of a fully loaded ship and the displacement of an empty ship. Depending on the deadweight, tanker categories are distinguished:

Medium-tonnage, MR category, tankers are used to transport both crude oil and its refined products; minimum deadweight 25,000 tons, maximum 44,999 tons. LR2 - second class tankers, large-tonnage, minimum deadweight 80,000 tons, maximum 159,999 tons Supertankers (ULCC), which are used to transport crude oil from the Middle East to the Gulf of Mexico. The deadweight of these ships exceeds 320,000 tons.

General purpose tankers are used to transport gasoline, kerosene, and other petroleum products; The minimum deadweight of these ships is 16,500 tons, the maximum is 24,999 tons. Large-capacity first-class tankers of category LR1, also known as oilers: these ships transport dark petroleum products - fuel oil, motor oils.

Small-tonnage tankers are used to transport various liquid cargoes - bitumen, coconut oil, vegetable oil, drinking water. The minimum deadweight is 6000 tons, the maximum is 16499 tons.

The VLCC category includes large-capacity tankers, third class, with a minimum deadweight of 160,000 tons and a maximum deadweight of 320,000 tons. There is also a special category - FSO, which includes supertankers with a deadweight exceeding 320,000 tons;

Unlike other types of tankers, FSO vessels are used as floating storage facilities for crude oil, from where it is unloaded onto vessels of smaller tonnage. There were several major tanker accidents in the late 1980s, the most famous of which was the Exxon Valdez tanker accident off the coast of Canada on March 24, 1989. After these accidents, a ban was introduced on the construction of single-hull tankers (that is, ships with a single skin). In the mid-2000s, a rule came into effect prohibiting the entry of existing single-skin tankers into European ports.

History of the supertanker "Knock Nevis"

It was designed by a Japanese shipbuilding company in 1974. It was built the same year at the Yokosuka shipyard. After construction, the tanker had a deadweight of 418,610 tons, which corresponds to the ULCC category. At the beginning of September 1975, the ship was launched, receiving the number 1016 as its name.

The ship was to be accepted by shipowners from Greece. However, they refused to do this, which is why long legal proceedings began between the creators of the ship and the customers. The main reason for the failure was that during sea trials of the supertanker, a serious flaw was revealed: during reversing, extremely strong vibration of the ship's hull began.

In March 1976, after the bankruptcy of the Greek company, the ship was acquired by SHI. After the purchase, the nameless tanker finally received its first name - "Oppama". Under this name, the ship was acquired by a Hong Kong company in 1979. The company's owners decided to rebuild the tanker by adding a cylindrical insert. After re-equipping the tanker, which lasted two years, in 1981 it was updated, received a larger deadweight and a new name - "Seawise Giant". As a result of the restructuring, the supertanker became the largest ship in the world to ever sail the ocean.

The supertanker "Seawise Giant" could not navigate through the Pas de Calais Strait, Panama and Suez Canals because the ship's draft became too deep after refitting. This giant transported crude oil from the Middle East to the United States, and went around the southern tip of Africa - the Cape of Good Hope.

In 1986, the war between Iran and Iraq was in full swing. On May 14, 1986, a giant tanker was carrying a cargo of Iranian crude oil to the United States, and the voyage immediately ended: As the ship passed through the Strait of Hormuz, an anti-ship missile was launched from an Iraqi fighter plane. It hit the left side of the ship, and after unsuccessful attempts to put out the fire, all crew members left the ship.

Near the small Iranian island of Larak, the tanker ran aground, and after that it was announced that the giant ship sank. In 1988, the war between Iran and Iraq was over. The owners of the Norwegian company Norman International raised the sunken tanker, and the ship received a new name - "Happy Giant". Under this name, the ship was delivered to Singapore in August 1988.

Work to repair and restore the giant lasted three years, and in October 1991, the supertanker, sold to another Norwegian company, left the Singapore shipyard under the name Jahre Viking.

For thirteen years, the supertanker continued to operate as a transport vessel. In 2004, a number of laws were passed according to which tankers without a double side were prohibited from entering ports in the United States of America and Europe. The ship changed owners again, then received a new name "Knock Nevis". Under this name, it came to Dubai and became a floating storage facility for crude oil.

The vessel's service life ended in December 2009. Under the last name "Mont", the giant ship made its last raid - to the shores of India. In early January 2010, the giant ship washed ashore near the city of Alang (Indian state of Gujarat), where the Coast of Dead ship cemetery is located.

By the beginning of 2011, the dismantling of the supertanker was completed. The ship's 36-ton anchor ended up in the Hong Kong Maritime Museum as a valuable exhibit.

The turning radius of the giant tanker Knock Nevis was 3.7 kilometers
The ship's carrying capacity is 565,000 tons
Length – 458.45 meters
Width – 68.86 meters
Total displacement – 825614 tons
Braking distance – about 10 kilometers
The ship's draft at maximum load is 24.611 meters
The ship was powered by steam turbines that developed a power of 50,000 horsepower
The ship's speed reached 13 knots

Knock Nevis (formerly known as Seawise Giant, Happy Giant and Jahre Viking) is a Norwegian-flagged supertanker. Its dimensions were: 458.45 meters long and 69 meters wide, which made it the largest ship in the world. Built in 1976, rebuilt in 1979, in recent years used as a floating oil storage facility, then delivered to Alang (India), where it was disposed of in 2010.

Knock Nevis had a deadweight of 564,763 tons, which is 658,362 m? (4.1 million barrels) of oil.

The length of the tanker is 458.45 meters, width is 68.86 meters, and the cargo draft is 24.61 meters. The maximum speed was 13 knots, the ship's crew was 40 people. The braking distance of the vessel is 10.2 kilometers, and the circulation diameter is more than 3.7 kilometers.

The draft when fully loaded did not allow the ship to pass not only the Suez and Panama Canals, but also the English Channel.

The supertanker was built in Japan in the city of Yokosuka by Sumitomo Corporation under the serial number “1016” and was transferred to the Greek shipowner, who gave the tanker its first real name “Seawise Giant”.

It’s interesting that the tanker wasn’t that big back then. Its carrying capacity was 480 thousand tons (typical modern supertankers hold 280 thousand tons).

The new owner ordered an enlargement of the vessel. The vessel was cut up and extended, and additional hull sections were added, increasing the deadweight from the original 480 thousand tons to a record 564,763 tons. In 1981, the tanker was ready for service. The total displacement of the monster after reconstruction reached 825 thousand 614 tons, which, along with its size, made it the largest ship ever sailed on Earth.

The ship initially sailed between the Middle East and the United States, but in 1986 it began to be used as a floating terminal for storing and transshipping Iranian oil during the Iran-Iraq War. In 1986, an Iraqi fighter jet fired an Exocet anti-ship missile at a ship that was almost in the Persian Gulf (or rather, in the Strait of Hormuz leading into the Gulf). The tanker did not die, but was disabled. Only in 1989 was it revived by Singapore ship repairers, replacing 3.7 thousand tons of crumpled steel.

After the end of the war, the ship, towed to Brunei, was purchased by the Norwegian company KS-company. The ship was refurbished in Singapore and renamed Happy Giant. However, in 1991, even before the completion of the repairs, KS-company came under the control of the Norwegian shipowner Jorgen Jahre, so the tanker left the shipyard under the name Jahre Viking.

KS-company was later purchased by Norwegian shipowner Fred Olsen for his company First Olsen Tankers.

Following the passage of laws in the United States and Europe prohibiting the use of single-sided tankers, the so-called monohull tankers (the Knock Nevis's side is only 3.5 centimeters thick), the vessel was converted into a "floating storage unit" (FPSO) in the Dubai docks in March 2004 ). At the same time, the tanker once again changed its name to the modern Knock Nevis. In 2009, the ship was washed ashore in Alang (India), where it was scrapped in 2010. Before the last voyage, the ship was renamed Mont and changed its flag to Sierra Leone. It took about a year to completely dismantle the ship.

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, long remaining the largest ship ever built. In 2010, the “sea giant” was decommissioned 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, the Prelude FLNG supertanker was manufactured in South Korea, 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

The ship, designed by engineers from the Land of the 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.
The power of the power plants is 50,000 liters. 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 fields of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to the United States. 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).

He could easily take on the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower. But its cargo is $195 million worth of oil. He has outlived several owners and is already on his fourth name. They hit him with rockets and cut him in half. And yet, for more than 20 years it remains the largest ship on the planet.

The history of this ship began in Japan in 1976 (some sources for some reason indicate 1975) at the shipyards of Sumitomo Heavy Industries.

Then our hero was born under the modest serial number “1016” and was handed over to a certain Greek shipowner, who gave the tanker its first real name “Seawise Giant”.

It’s interesting that the tanker wasn’t that big back then. Almost. Its carrying capacity was 480 thousand tons (typical modern supertankers hold 280 thousand tons).

She sailed for three years, and very soon the ship was sold to a new owner, who ordered its enlargement. Japanese shipbuilders cut and extended the ship, which took a lot of time.

Finally, in 1981, the tanker was ready for service again. Welded additional sections of the hull increased its deadweight (capacity) to 564 thousand 763 tons of oil, otherwise - to 658 thousand 362 cubic meters.

One of the latest photos of Knock Nevis. For the scale of the oil titanium, pay attention to the sea cargo ship visible on the left in the background (photo from supertankers.topcities.com).

By the way, this oil is separated from the sea by only one steel board 3.5 centimeters thick.

The total displacement of the monster after reconstruction reached 825 thousand 614 tons, which, along with its size, made it the largest ship ever sailed on Earth.

The people on its deck can give you some idea of the scale of the monster (photo from dxman.com).

Dimensions. This must be imagined, because there are no such suitable photographs that allow you to feel the scale of the supertanker.

Its length is 458.45 meters, width is 68.86 meters (other sea vessels have a shorter length), and its draft under load is 24.61 meters.

Not only the Titanic, but also modern cruise giants that surpass the Titanic in all sizes are simply not impressive compared to this tanker. Turbines with a capacity of 50 thousand horsepower accelerate the tanker at full load to 13 knots (approximately 24 kilometers per hour).

Interestingly, the ship's crew consists of only 40 people.

To deliver a supertanker to the terminal, you need several powerful tugs at once (photo from supertankers.topcities.com).

Obviously, a tanker of this size provides the opportunity to deliver black gold to its destination very economically (per ton of oil).

True, here's the problem - with a full load, this tanker cannot pass through the English Channel, the Suez and Panama Canals, nor can it moor in most major ports of the world.

It would seem that, given its geometric dimensions, it could perform this trick. But safety plays a big role here.

A million-ton tanker at full speed is a terrible force (photo from supertankers.topcities.com).

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.

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

Comparison of the largest ships on the planet (by length and gross register tons (generalized characteristics of geometric dimensions). It is a pity that most of our hero megatanker (he is drawn last) is hidden under water (illustration from the site dxman.com).

This year, the tanker visited dry docks in Dubai, received new equipment and turned into a so-called “Floating Storage and Offloading unit” for oil. At the same time, the ship was renamed Knock Nevis. The ship is owned by Norwegians and operates in Qatari waters.