TI-class supertanker

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Hellespont Tara (later TI Europe) in the Netherlands on June 24, 2005.
Hellespont Tara (later TI Europe) in the Netherlands on June 24, 2005.
Class overview
BuildersDaewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Okpo-dong, South Korea
Built2002–2003
In service2003–present
Completed4
Active4
General characteristics [1]
TypeUltra Large Crude Carrier
Tonnage
  • 234,006 GT
  • 162,477 NT
  • 441,893 DWT
Displacement
  • 67,591 tonnes (66,524 long tons) light
  • 509,484 tonnes (501,437 long tons) full load
Length380 m (1,246 ft 9 in) o/a
Beam68 m (223 ft 1 in)
Draught24.5 m (80 ft 5 in)
Speed16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) (laden)
Capacity2,800,000 barrels (450,000,000 L) [2]

The TI class of supertankers comprises the ships TI Africa, TI Asia, TI Europe and TI Oceania (all names as of July 2004), where the "TI" refers to the ULCC tanker pool operator Tankers International. The class were the first ULCCs (ultra-large crude carriers) to be built in 25 years.[3]

By displacement, deadweight tonnage (≈ cargo mass), and gross tonnage (a formula value based on internal volume, not mass), the TI class ships are smaller only than Pioneering Spirit.

Compared to the TI class, the Maersk Triple E class container ships are longer and have a higher cargo volume, including above-deck containers.

The previous largest ship, the supertanker Seawise Giant, was dismantled in 2010.

History[edit]

All four oil tankers were constructed for shipping company Hellespont Group by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in Okpo, South Korea, entering service between March 2002 and April 2003. The ships were originally named Hellespont Alhambra, Hellespont Fairfax, Hellespont Metropolis and Hellespont Tara.

In 2004, Belgian shipowner Euronav NV and partners purchased all four ships. Hellespont Fairfax, Hellespont Tara, Hellespont Alhambra and Hellespont Metropolis were renamed TI Oceania, TI Europe, TI Asia and TI Africa respectively.[4]

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

Hellespont Metropolis cost $89 million in 2002, requiring 700,000 man-hours of direct labor.[5]

Features[edit]

The class, each ship powered by a single HSD-Sulzer 9RTA84T-D delivering 50,220 brake horsepower (37,450 kW) at 76 rpm,[6] possesses a relatively high service speed (16.5 knots; 30.6 km/h laden, 17.5 knots; 32.4 km/h 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. They also cannot travel through the Suez Canal unless on a ballast voyage.

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]

Conversion[edit]

In 2009 and 2010, TI Asia and TI Africa were converted into sophisticated floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessels, moored off the coast of Qatar in the Persian Gulf at the Al Shaheen Oil Field. The extensive conversions were carried out by EuroNav and Overseas Shipholding Group at Drydocks World – Dubai.[7]

In 2017, TI Europe was chartered by Statoil and converted to an FSO vessel, moored at Port of Kuala Sungai Linggi in Malaysia.[8] In 2019, it was announced that TI Oceania would be converted to an FSO vessel and moored off the coast of Singapore.[9]

TI Class
No. Ship Flag IMO number Delivery Status Owner Note
1 FSO Asia (effective November 2009)
Ex name(s):
TI Asia (effective July 2004)
Hellespont Alhambra (effective March 2002) 		Marshall Islands 9224752 March 2002 In service TI Asia Ltd
(Euronav) 		FSO located Al Shaheen oilfield
2 FSO Africa (effective March 2010)
Ex name(s):
TI Africa (effective July 2004)
Hellespont Metropolis (effective June 2002) 		Marshall Islands 9224764 June 2002 In service TI Africa Ltd
(Euronav) 		FSO located Al Shaheen oilfield
3 SA Europe[10]
Ex name(s):
Europe
TI Europe
Hellespont Tara (effective November 2002) 		Liberia 9235268 November 2002 In service Euronav until Q4 2022, then new owner VE Marine Services, in 2023 Minsheng Qihao (Tianjin) Shipping Leasing Co Ltd[11][10][12] FSO located off the coast of Port of Kuala Sungai Linggi, Malaysia[8] From May 2020, the Europe was at anchor off Malaysia.[11] Found at location near Singapore in August 2023.[11][10]
4 OCEANIA (effective July 2018)
Ex name(s):
Overseas Laura Lynn
TI Oceania (effective July 2004)
Hellespont Fairfax (effective April 2003) 		Belgium 9246633 April 2003 In service Euronav NV As of September 2019, FSO located off the coast of Port of Kuala Sungai Linggi, Malaysia.[9]

Information obtained from IMO GISIS Ship and Company Particulars,[13] MarineTraffic,[14] Euronav and branches,[15] and Subsidiaries of International Seaways[16] 15 February 2020, update Europe ship 8 August 2023.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "TI Europe". Auke Visser´s International Super Tankers. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Euronav FSO". Euronav. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Hellespont Alhambra". Wärtsilä. 2010. Archived from the original on 3 January 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  4. ^ "Euronav, partners purchase four tankers". Oil & Gas Journal. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Shipyard Productivity". ThorCon Power. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Hellespont to name ULCC's". marinelog.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2002. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  7. ^ "List of drydocked FSOs". Drydock World. Archived from the original on 11 January 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Statoil charters last of the world's largest oil tankers to hold crude for Asia buyers". Reuters. 28 September 2017. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Ships set to burn raw crude oil to beat new clean fuel rules". JWN Energy Group. Bloomberg. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  10. ^ a b c "Singapore owner linked to purchase of world's biggest tanker from Euronav". Tradewinds News. 2 November 2022. Archived from the original on 8 August 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  11. ^ a b c "Euronav sells the world's biggest tanker for a fat $35m profit". Tradewinds. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  12. ^ "GISIS: Ship and Company Particulars". IMO. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  13. ^ "GISIS: Ship and Company Particulars". IMO. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  14. ^ "Vessel details". MarineTraffic. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Contact Euronav". Euronav. Archived from the original on 17 April 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  16. ^ "Subsidiaries of International Seaways". SEC. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.

External links[edit]

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