TI-class supertanker

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MT Hellespont Alhambra enters U.S. waters on her maiden voyage 16 May 2002, with nearly 440,000 tons of crude oil.
Class overview
Builders: Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Okpo-dong, South Korea
Built: 2002–2003
In service: 2003–present
Completed: 4
Active: 2
General characteristics [1][2]
Type: Ultra Large Crude Carrier
Tonnage: 234,006 GT
162,477 NT
441,585 DWT
Displacement: 67,829 long tons (68,917 t) light
509,484 long tons (517,660 t) full load
Length: 380 m (1,246 ft 9 in) o/a
Beam: 68 m (223 ft 1 in)
Draught: 24.5 m (80 ft 5 in)
Speed: 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) (laden)
Capacity: 3,166,353 barrels (503,409,900 l)

The TI Class of ships are the four largest double-hulled supertankers in the world. They are also the largest ships in the world currently. The Maersk Triple E class container ships are longer, but the TI Class are still the biggest in terms of deadweight tonnage and gross tonnage. The previous largest ship, the single hulled supertanker Seawise Giant, was scrapped in 2010. The class comprises the ships TI Africa, TI Asia, TI Europe and TI Oceania, where the "TI" refers to the VLCC Tanker Pool operator Tankers International L.L.C. The class were the first ULCCs (Ultra-large crude carriers) to be built for 25 years.[3]

History

All four oil tankers were constructed for shipping company Hellespont by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in Okpo, South Korea in 2002/3. The class was originally named Hellespont Alhambra, Hellespont Fairfax, Hellespont Metropolis and Hellespont Tara. In 2004 the class was jointly purchased. Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) purchased Hellespont Fairfax and Hellespont Tara, renaming them TI Oceania and TI Africa respectively flagged for the Marshall Islands. Euronav NV, a Belgian shipowner, purchased Hellespont Alhambra and Hellespont Metropolis and renamed them TI Asia and TI Europe respectively flagged Belgium.[1] The class possess a relatively high service speed (16.5 knots laden, 17.5 knots in ballast), which increases their earning capacity. The steel scantlings are greater than the class minimum.

These ships are wider than the new Panama Canal locks and will be unable to pass through when the new locks open.

The coatings in the ballast tanks are protected by two features, a full-time double-scrubbing system supplying drier inert gas to the ballast tanks, and also by the white painted upper hull reflecting the sun’s energy. The inert gas system also increases safety. Keeping down the cargo temperatures also minimizes hydrocarbon emissions.[3]

Hellespont Fairfax was the subject of an episode of The Discovery Channel's television show Superships, episode "Launching a Leviathan–Hellespont Fairfax".

Conversion

In 2009 and 2010, TI Asia and TI Africa met the same fate as the former Knock Nevis and were converted into sophisticated FSO vessels.[4] The extensive conversions were carried out by Euronav and OSG at Dubai Dockyards. The FSO Asia and FSO Africa were placed in the Al Shaheen oilfield offshore Qatar in January and August 2010 respectively.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 United States Coast Guard (2008-04-07). "TI Oceania". Port State Information Exchange. United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 7 July 2010. 
  2. ↑ Tankers International (2008). "Fleet List". tankersinternational.com. Tankers International. Retrieved 7 July 2010. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Hellespont Alhambra". Wärtsilä. 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010. 
  4. ↑ "FSO Asia". Auke Visser's International Super Tankers. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2014. 

Further reading

External links

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