The world of maritime shipping has a special class of supertankers — these are true giants created for transporting oil over vast distances. Their construction history is a race of engineering thought, and their sizes still amaze the imagination.

Unmatched Record Holder: The History of Knock Nevis

The supertanker with the absolute record in size is known by various names, but is most often referred to as Knock Nevis or Seawise Giant. Its history is unique and dramatic.

Ordered by a Greek magnate in 1979, the tanker was built by the Japanese company Sumitomo Heavy Industries and was originally named Oppama. After the customer's refusal, the ship was purchased by a Hong Kong shipowner, who demanded an increase in its size. Ultimately, in 1981, the giant was launched at 458.45 meters in length. For comparison, the height of the Eiffel Tower is 330 meters, making this tanker longer than it and many other well-known structures.

The main characteristics of Knock Nevis are impressive:

• Length: 458.45 m
• Width: 68.8 m
• Deadweight (cargo capacity): 564,763 tons
• Capacity: over 4 million barrels of crude oil

The deck area of the ship was so vast that crew members moved around it on bicycles. However, the enormous size also became a problem: the tanker could not pass through the Suez and Panama Canals, and the braking distance was almost 10 kilometers.

The fate of the tanker was full of dramatic events. In 1988, during the Iran-Iraq war, it was attacked and sank off the coast of Iran. However, its history did not end there. The Norwegian company purchased the sunken ship, raised it, and completely restored it, investing millions of dollars. After the repair, it was renamed Happy Giant and then Jahre Viking. At the beginning of the 21st century, it served as a floating oil storage facility under the name Knock Nevis. In 2010, the giant was sent for scrapping to the city of Alang, India. It took over a year and 18,000 workers to dismantle it. Today, the only reminder of it is a 36-ton anchor, which is an exhibit at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.

Supertankers of the TI Class

After the scrapping of Seawise Giant, the largest operating supertankers are four ships of the TI class: TI Africa, TI Asia, TI Europe, and TI Oceania.

They were built by the South Korean company Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and put into operation in 2002-2003. Although they are shorter than the \"absolute record holder,\" their sizes are also impressive. Each ship is 380 meters long and has a deadweight of 441,893 tons, allowing them to carry about 2.8 million barrels of oil.

These ships are the only representatives of the class ULCC (Ultra Large Crude Carrier) currently in active operation and continue to be used for transporting crude oil around the world.

Classification and Definition of Supertankers

In the shipping industry, the term \"supertanker\" is not official, but is used to indicate the largest ships. According to the international classification, ULCC (Ultra Large Crude Carriers) include tankers with a deadweight of over 320,000 tons. They can carry more than 2 million barrels of oil. Slightly smaller are tankers of the VLCC (Very Large Crude Carriers) class — from 160,000 to 320,000 tons.

Historically, supertankers were also built by other shipyards. For example, in France in 1976, the tanker Batillus was launched at 414 meters in length, but it was scrapped in 1985.

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