Tanker Knock Nevis. The largest tanker in the world - Knock Nevis ← Hodor

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 the deck can accommodate four football fields. 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 cases of this design is very difficult technically, so some record-breaking characteristics tanker Knock Nevis won't be beaten 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 his 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 Gulf of Mexico fields and Caribbean Sea in USA. Later he was transferred to Persian Gulf for oil exports 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 completed to transfer the tanker Knock Nevis 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 tanker, best known as the 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, 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. 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 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 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.

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 humble serial number“1016” and was transferred 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 (for other sea vessels length is shorter), 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 most large ships planets (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.

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

Oil has long become the most sensitive nerve of the entire world industry. Often, it is most profitable to transport “black gold” not by land, but by water. The route taken 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 transportation of oil.

The very first sea tanker for transporting oil in a tank whose walls served as hulls was the sailing ship Atlantic, built in 1863. This type of tanker uses a hull as a reservoir for liquid cargo, which has survived to this day. By the beginning of the First World War, sea tankers already accounted for 3% of the world's merchant fleet.

The demand for oil is growing every year. 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 becoming more stringent. 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 into account the features and advantages of supertankers, since when transporting oil on 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 a relatively small crew. Even the longest transportation of valuable cargo is much cheaper than when operating a conventional vessel. 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 that 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 have a capacity of 280,000 tons). Three years later, the cargo ship was sold to a new owner, who ordered an enlargement. Japanese shipbuilders cut and extended the tanker, which took quite a lot of time. Finally, in 1981, the supertanker was ready for service 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 has survived several owners and now bears the fourth name “Knock Nevis”. They shot him with rockets and cut him in half. And yet - for more than 20 years it remains the largest ship on the planet.

The “braking distance” of the supertanker “Knock Nevis” is 5000 meters.

Technical characteristics of the 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 - 50,000 l. With.;
Speed - 13 knots;
Crew - 40 people.

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

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 at Indian city Alang (Gujarat), where its body 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.

Knock Nevis is the largest ship that has ever existed on Earth.

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.