Prairial (supertanker)

From SpottingWorld, the Hub for the SpottingWorld network...
Career
Name: Prairial
Owner: Compagnie Nationale de Navigation, France (as completed)
Operator: Elf Aquitaine (as completed)
Port of registry: 22x20px Le Havre (as Prairial)
22x20px Panama City (as Sea Brilliance)
22x20px Piraeus (as Hellas Fos)
22x20px Monrovia (as Sea Giant)
Builder: Chantiers de l'Atlantique,
Saint-Nazaire, France
Yard number: H26
Launched: September 21, 1979
Completed: December 1979
In service: December 1979
Out of service: 2003
Identification: IMO number: 7408720[1]
Fate: Scrapped in Gadani ship-breaking yard, Pakistan, September 2003
General characteristics
Class and type: Batillus, ULCC
Tonnage: 555,046 DWT[1][2]
274,826 GT ITC[1]
Length: 414.22 m (1,359 ft 0 in)[1]
Beam: 63.05 m (206 ft 10 in)
Draft: 28.60 m (93 ft 10 in)
Installed power: 47,840 kW[3] (65,000 Ks)
Propulsion: 4 × Stal Laval[4] single reduced steam turbine engines
2 × propellers
Speed: 16 knots (30 km/h)

Prairial was a supertanker, built in 1979 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire for Compagnie Nationale de Navigation. Prairial, which was the fourth and final vessel of Batillus class supertankers (the other three were Batillus, Bellamya and Pierre Guillaumat), was the only ship of that class to have a longer career, sailing until 2003, although under different names: Sea Brilliance (1985), Hellas Fos (1986) and Sea Giant (1997). She is also distinguished as the third biggest ship ever constructed, surpassed in size only by Knock Nevis[5][6] (ex Jahre Viking, Happy Giant and Seawise Giant) built in 1976 and subsequently lengthened, and her sister ship Pierre Guillaumat.

The vessel was completed and put in service in 1979. As other ships of Batillus class, she was put on hold after arriving at Vestnes, Norway on April 5, 1983, but it was sold for further service in 1985. She was in service under different names and properties until 2003, when arived at Gadani ship-breaking yard to be scrapped.

Technical data

Length overall was 414.22 m beam 63.05 m, draft 28.60 m, deadweight tonnage 555,046 t, and gross tonnage 274,826. Propulsion was provided by two propellers each driven by two Stal Laval steam turbines developing a total power of 65,000 Hp. The service speed was 16.7 knots, with fuel consumption of about 330 tonnes of heavy oil per day and fuel enough for 42 days.

The cargo was carried in 40 tanks with a total volume of 677,300 m3. They were divided into central and lateral tanks, whose dimensions was designed to reduce considerably the risk of pollution caused by collision or grounding. Ahead of the international standards of the time, the wing tanks had a maximum unit volume not exceeding 17 000 m3, which was reduced to 9,000 m3 in the most vulnerable parts of ship.

See also

References

External links

fr:Prairial (pétrolier)