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Monday, 20 October 2014

PIETER SCHELTE: THE NEW BIGGEST SHIP IN THE WORLD


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The New Biggest Ship In The World
By Lara Lopes,
Interesting Engineering, 19 October 2014.

The position of greatest ship in the world now belongs to a new vessel; the Pieter Schelte built by DSME and Allsease, an absurdly big ship that is able to lift and carry an entire oil platform by itself.

wps81FC.tmpCredit: Allseas

It is in the catamaran ship category along with two other ships that can achieve good speed even with insane sizes, as is the case here. The photographs below, taken in South Korea during a test, are very rare: the Pieter Schelte is almost never seen at sea, despite already being well in advanced stages of construction.

wps2542.tmpPieter Schelte performing sea trials. Credit: Allseas.

The ship has impressive measurements: 382m x 117m, and 124m tall. Its total cost was US$1.7 billion, and it reaches a maximum speed of 25 km/h. The crew working the ship can reach up to 571 people and the energy consumed in it can reach 95,000 kW.

wpsA09D.tmpPieter Schelte performing sea trials. Credit: Allseas.

The construction of  ‘Pieter Schelte’ means a great boost for the maritime industry. We’re proud that Allseas is responsible for this innovation and pleased that the port of Rotterdam can make a contribution. It’s in line with the Port Authority’s endeavour to develop the port further as a centre of the global maritime industry,” said Allard Castelein, Chief Executive of the Port Authority.

wpsF844.tmpPieter Schelte positioned at the D-quay. Credit: Allseas.

The whole structure can lift and ship up to 40 tons. The purpose of the ship is navigating the North Sea, near the coasts of Norway and Denmark, to remove oil platforms that are not in use and take them to shore. The process is complicated and involves many steps which the ships are being prepared for.

wpsCFC9.tmpPieter Schelte towed to the D-quay. Credit: Allseas.

Its actual title is the ‘largest pipelay vessel’ and although not as long as the Triple E or the Prelude FLNG, it is a lot wider. For 2020, Allseas promised to build an even bigger one to beat the current model.

Video: Pieter Schelte - World's Largest Vessel




Top image credit: Allseas.

[Source: Interesting Engineering. Some images and links added.]


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