A decade and a half ago Ships Monthly reported on the world’s biggest ships and most have continued to grow, as Jim Shaw reports.
Considered the world’s largest ship by displacement, beam and volume, the 1,253ft (382m) by 407ft (124m) topsides removal/installation vessel Pioneering Spirit completed her first job last year by lifting the 13,500-tonne topsides of the decommissioned Yme oil platform in the North Sea. Later this year the 403,342gt vessel will tackle the 23,000-tonne topsides of Shell’s Brent Delta platform, which will be a world record single lift for an offshore structure.
The South Korean-built vessel, which has cost over $2.8 billion to build and outfit, is able to single-lift topsides of up to 48,000 tonnes and jackets up to 25,000 tonnes. She is operated by Swiss-based engineering contractor Allseas, which is already planning to build an even larger ship capable of lifting topsides up to 72,000 tonnes.
The title of ‘World’s Largest Ship’ has always captivated the general public. Recently the largest container ships and largest cruise vessels ever delivered have been built, with the Oasis cruise ships being of particular interest to many. Indeed, the size of ships over the past century and more has continued to grow.
LARGEST THROUGH TIME
Closure of the Suez Canal in 1956, and again in 1967, prompted the construction of very large tankers to carry crude oil from the Middle East around the Cape of Good Hope to Europe and America. Prior to the mid-1960s it was usually a passenger liner that could claim title of world’s largest ship. The title itself was first widely publicised for the 18,914gt Great Eastern in 1858, a vessel ahead of her time, measuring 692ft (211m) by 120ft (36.6m) and already ‘post-panamax’ because of her wide paddle wheels.
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Denne historien er fra May 2017-utgaven av Ships Monthly.
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PROPULSION REVOLUTION
Jim Shaw summarises the efforts being made by the world’s shipping industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships, and how these efforts are reshaping marine propulsion and vessel design in light of new IMO 2020 regulations.
THE HISTORIC FERRY BORE
Thomas Rinaldi profiles the historic motor ship Bore, now a combination museum and hotel ship docked permanently in Turku, originally built in 1960 by Oskarshamn shipyard in Sweden as the car/passenger ferry Bore for the Steamship Company Bore.
On duty from the Thames to Mesopotamia
Russell Plummer recalls the contribution made by excursion ships and ferry paddle steamers, large and small, during the two World Wars.
Space Ships
Patrick Boniface describes the ocean ships that recovered the space ships involved in the Apollo and Skylab missions of the 1960s and 1970s.
Hebridean Isles West Coast Stalwart
Marking her 35th anniversary in 2020, Caledonian MacBrayne’s long-serving stalwart Hebridean Isles can be found as one of two regular vessels serving Islay on Scotland’s west coast. Mark Nicolson looks at a vessel which is a popular sight wherever she goes, with her name appropriately reflecting the areas served by CalMac.
Spirit Of Discovery
Saga Cruises’ first new cruise ship in its history, Spirit of Discovery, made her debut in July. William Mayes went on board to assess the facilities on the new ship, which is arguably the most significant new cruise ship for Britain since Oriana of 1995.
Bravo!
Memories of the decrepit-looking cargo ship Bravoaltona arriving at Avonmouth in September 1976, and an awareness of a fleet of former Dutch ships with names commencing Bravo, led Malcolm Cranfield to research two different Greek-owned fleets.
The World's Biggest Ships
A decade and a half ago Ships Monthly reported on the world’s biggest ships and most have continued to grow, as Jim Shaw reports.
ACL G4 Class Profile Of The New G4 Class Of Con-ros
Matt Davies goes behind the scenes on Atlantic Container Line’s new G4 ships, which are the largest con-ros in the world.
A Great British Ship
SS Great Britain is a ship worthy of the name ‘Great’. When launched in 1843, she was the biggest ship in the world, had an iron hull and was fitted with a steam-powered propeller. James Hendrie describes her career, which ended with her being placed on display in Bristol, the city where she was built.
