Knock Nevis, the largest ship ever built by mankind. The largest tanker in the world Tanker “knock nevis” - past and present

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 largest ship in the world is 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: when the ship was in the waters 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 most big 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 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, 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.

The tanker, best known by the name Knock Nevis, is the largest industrial vessel that has ever been built by man. During its difficult existence, it managed to change its name, size, and scope of application several times.

As soon as it was not called! IN different years the tanker was Seawise Giant, Jahre Viking, Happy Giant, Knock Nevis And Mont. And its story began in 1974, almost 40 years ago. At this time, Japanese shipyards received an order to build largest tanker in the world. It took the companies 5 years to make the dream of the Greek shipowner come true: in 1979, a gigantic tanker, striking in its size, was launched.

But this was not enough for the initiator of the order, and he insisted on increasing the size of the ship. As a result, the vessel was cut in half and additional sections were inserted into the middle. At that time, the largest tanker on earth was named Seawise Giant.

As a result, one can only marvel at its enormous size: the length of the ship was 458.45 meters, width - 68.86 meters. And at one time the ship could transport 564.8 thousand tons of cargo. At the same time, the weight of the Knock Nevis tanker itself was 81.9 thousand tons, and if you look at its individual components, then the weight of the ship’s propeller was 50 tons, and the weight of the steering wheel reached 230 tons.

But the further “biography” of the tanker showed that such impressive dimensions became not only the advantage of the vessel, but also its significant drawback. It’s hard to imagine, but when Knock Nevis was fully loaded, it plunged under water to about 30 meters, which is the size of, for comparison, a nine-story building.

It is not surprising that such a serious draft did not allow the tanker to navigate either the Panama or Suez Canals. At the same time, the Panama Canal did not suit Knock Nevis in terms of width and length, because the tanker was 1.5 times larger than the maximum permissible dimensions of the locks.

It is also interesting that the described vessel could reach speeds of up to 30 km/h, but when braking, it had to swim another 9 kilometers before it came to a complete stop. And even turning a ship with such a gigantic size was not an easy task: without a tug, the tanker turned with a radius of 3.2 kilometers.

In 1981, after a final increase in size, Knock Nevis finally began to bring profit to its owners. His “job” was transporting oil from the Middle East to the United States. However, at that time the Iran-Iraq war was raging, which made its own adjustments to the life of the ship.

Since 1986, the ship began to be used as a huge floating terminal for the movement and storage of Iranian oil, but in 1988, an Iranian fighter attacked Knock Nevis and caused significant damage to it, as a result of which the ship lost all the oil it was carrying.

It is worth noting that the thickness of the sides of the huge tanker was only 3.5 centimeters. Therefore, when a hole occurs, thousands of tons of oil freely enter the surrounding sea ​​world. As a result, significant damage was caused to the nature of the earth, and the tanker was out of commission for three years.

During the repair of the tanker, 3.7 thousand tons of damaged steel were replaced. Also at this time the ship was given a new official name- Happy Giant. But even before the completion of the repair work (carried out, by the way, in Singapore), the tanker was sold for $39 million to a Norwegian company and left the restoration docks under the name Jahre Viking.

The next significant changes in the life of the largest industrial vessel occurred in 2004. In the United States and Europe, a law was passed banning the use of thin-walled tankers for transporting oil. Thus, Knock Nevis was left without work. It was then that the tanker from Jahre Viking was renamed Knock Nevis, and began to be used as a floating oil storage facility.

In 2009, the ship changes its owner, who once again gives it a new name - Mont. Then the tanker sets off on its final voyage: to India, to Alang, which is a world-famous ship graveyard. There, over the course of several months, the ship is cut into pieces and melted down.

Today, the only attribute that remains of the world's largest industrial ship is its anchor, weighing 36 tons. It is now kept in the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.

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.

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 - 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 thrown ashore near the Indian city of Alang (Gujarat state), where its hull was cut into metal for a year.

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

Knock Nevis is the largest ship that has ever existed 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 oil.

The most the first sea tanker for transporting oil in a tank, the walls of which were lining, it became “ Atlantic", built in 1863. This type tanker, the reservoir for the 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'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 is increasing and the requirements for its transportation are becoming more stringent. I doubt that there are any whose size and displacement would have the same rapid development trend as tankers.

Shipbuilding development oil tankers takes into account the features and advantages 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 large tankers And supertankers 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 the company " Sumitomo Heavy Industries." Then oil tanker "Knock Nevis"“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 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 cargo ship was sold to a new owner, who ordered an enlargement. Japanese shipbuilders cut and extended tanker, which took quite 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.

Technical characteristics of the oil 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;
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 has outlived several owners and is already bearing its fourth name " Knock Nevis". They shot him with rockets and cut him in half. And yet - for more than 20 years he remains the most big by ship on the planet. During my 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 braking distance of the supertanker “Knock Nevis” is 5 kilometers

This year supertanker visited one of the shipyards in Dubai, received new equipment and turned into a so-called “Floating Storage and Offloading unit” for oil. Wherein cargo ship renamed to " Knock Nevis" After serving for a while tanker was scrapped and sent to one of the Indian ports.

dismantling of the tanker "Knock Nevis"

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

As a rule, oil is shipped at a roadstead 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, an international convention was adopted within the framework of the Maritime Consultative Organization, which defined a design for all types of tankers. Separate cargo containers oil tankers must not exceed 30,000 cubic meters. Tankers must have a double hull and technical devices to improve the maneuverability of the vessel.