In 2004, she was bought by First Olsen Tankers Pte. Ltd., renamed Knock Nevis and converted into a permanently moored storage tanker. On November 30, 2004 the conversion to FSO was completed. Since 2004, she has been owned by First Olsen Tankers Pte. Ltd. The ship was permanently moored in the Qatar Al Shaheen oil field in the Persian Gulf, operated as an FSO untill 2010.
The ship was built at the Odense Steel Shipyard in Denmark. In June 2006, during construction, welding work caused a fire within her superstructure. It spread rapidly through the accommodation section and bridge.
Emma Mærsk was named in a ceremony on August 12, 2006. The ship is named after Emma Mærsk, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller's late wife. The ship set sail on her maiden voyage on 8 September 2006 at 02:00 hours from Aarhus, calling at Gothenburg, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Algeciras, the Suez Canal, and arrived in Singapore on 1 October 2006 at 20:05 hours.
Emma Mærsk departed Singapore the next day, headed for Yantian in Shenzhen. She sailed on to Kobe, Nagoya, arrived at Yokohama on 10 October 2006, and returned via Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Tanjung Pelepas, the Suez Canal, Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Gothenburg and finally to Aarhus, with arrival at that port 11 November 2006 at 16:00 hours.
She appeared in headlines prior to Christmas 2006, when she was dubbed SS Santa because she was bound for the United Kingdom from China loaded with Christmas goods. The return journey after Christmas 2006 saw her return to southern China, loaded with UK waste destined for recycling in China.
Her appearance in the news prompted China's State Environmental Protection Administration to promise to "closely watch the progress of investigation into the dumping of garbage in south China by Britain". It added that no official approval had been given to any company in the area to import waste.
Emma Maersk's regular round trip involves Ningbo, Xiamen, Hong Kong (westbound), Yantian (westbound), Tanjung Pelepas (westbound), Algeciras (westbound), Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Algeciras (eastbound), Tanjung Pelepas (eastbound), Yantian (eastbound), Hong Kong (eastbound) and Ningbo.
Ocean Liner - Queen Mary 2
The RMSQueen Mary 2 (QM2) is a Cunard Line ocean liner named after the earlier Cunard liner Queen Mary, which was in turn named after Mary of Teck, the Queen Consort of George V. At the time of her construction in 2003 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique, the QM2 was the longest, widest and tallest passenger ship ever built, and at a gross tonnage(GT)of148,528tons, was also the largest. She lost the gross tonnage distinction to Royal Caribbean International's 154,407GT Freedom of the Seas in April 2006, but QM2remains the largest ocean liner (as opposed to cruise ship) ever built, and her width, length, and waterline breadth are unsurpassed by any other passenger ship. Also, the QM2 displaces approximately 76,000 tons; the Royal Caribbean Freedom ships displace about 64,000 tons.
General Characteristics
| Tonnage: | 148,528 GT |
| Length: | 345 m (1,132ft) |
| Beam: | 41 m (135ft) waterline,
45 m (147.6ft) extreme (bridge wings) |
| Draft: | 10 m (32.8ft) |
| Capacity: | 2,620 passengers |
The Queen Mary 2 is the current Cunard flagship and makes regular transatlantic crossings. The ship was constructed to complement the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2)—the Cunard flagship from 1969 to 2004—replacing it on the transatlantic route. The first RMSQueen Marysailed the Atlantic from 1936 to 1967. QM had the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) title conferred on her, as a gesture to Cunard's history, by Royal Mail when she entered service in 2004 on the Southampton to New York route.
On 12 January 2004, the Queen Mary 2 set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the United States, carrying 2,620 passengers under the command of her first captain Ronald Warwick, who had previously commanded the Queen Elizabeth 2. Warwick is the son of William (Bil) Warwick who had also been a Cunard officer and had also been the QE2's first captain
During the XXVIII Olympics the QM2 sailed to Athens and docked at Piraeus for two weeks for use as a hotel-ship, serving the then Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair and his wife Cherie, the French President Jacques Chirac, US president George H. W. Bush, and the US Olympic men's basketball team.
In January 2006 the QM2 embarked on a circumnavigation of South America (the ship is too large to pass through the Panama Canal). Upon departure from Fort Lauderdale one of her propeller pods was damaged when it struck a channel wall, forcing the ship to sail at a reduced speed, which resulted in Commodore Warwick's decision to skip several calls on its voyage to Rio de Janeiro. Many of her passengers threatened to stage a sit-in protest because of the missed calls, before Cunard offered to refund the voyage costs. The QM2continued to operate at a reduced service speed, and several itinerary changes were necessary until repairs had been completed after the ship returned to Europe in June, where the QM2 paid a visit to dry dock, and the damaged propeller pod was unseated. In November the QM2 was dry-docked once more at the Blohm + Voss yard in Hamburg (drydock Elbe 17) for the reinstallation of the repaired propeller pod. At the same time, sprinkler systems were installed in all of the vessel's balconies to comply with new safety regulations which had come into effect since the MV Star Princess fire. Additionally, both bridge wings were extended by 2 metres to improve visibility.
After completing the journey around South America, on 23 February 2006, the QM2 met her namesake, the original RMS Queen Mary, which is permanently docked at Long Beach, California. Escorted by a flotilla of smaller ships, the two Queens exchanged a "whistle salute" which was heard throughout the city of Long Beach.
On 10 January 2007 the QM2 started her first world cruise, circling the globe in 81 days. On 20 February, she met her fleet-mate, the Queen Elizabeth 2, also on her 2007 world cruise, in Sydney harbour. This is the first time two Cunard Queens have been together in Sydney since the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth served as troop ships in 1941. Despite the early arrival time of 5:42 am, the QM2's presence attracted so many viewers that the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Anzac Bridge were blocked. With 1,600 passengers leaving the ships in Sydney, Cunard estimated the stopovers injected more than $1 million into the local economy.
Famous passengers and/or guests of the QM2 include Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, former French President Jacques Chirac, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, jazz musician Dave Brubeck, former US president George H. W. Bush, comedian and actor John Cleese, actor Richard Dreyfuss, author and editor Harold Evans, director George Lucas, singer Carly Simon, singer Rod Stewart, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, and financier Donald Trump.
Following the retirement of QE2, Queen Mary 2 will be the only operational ocean liner left in active passenger service.
Bulk Carrier - Berge Stahl
The MS Berge Stahl is the largest bulk carrier ship in the world. She is registered in Stavanger, Norway. She was previously registered in Monrovia, Liberia.
General Characteristics
| Length: | 343m (1,122 ft) |
| Beam: | 65m (208,3ft) |
| Draft: | 23m |
| Capacity | 364,767 |
An iron ore carrier, the Berge Stahl has a capacity of 364,767 metric tons of deadweight (DWT) she was built in 1986 by Hyundai Heavy Industries. The Berge Stahl is 1,122 feet (343 m) long, has a beam, or width, of 208.3 feet (65 m), and a draft, or depth in the water, of 23 m.
Her Hyundai B&W 7L90MCE diesel engine is 30feet (9 m) high, drives a single 30foot (9 m) screw, and puts out 27,610 horsepower (20.59 MW), has a top speed of 13.5 knots, and has a 30foot (9 m) high rudder.
She is owned by the Norwegian shipping company Bergesen d.y. ASA.
Because of her massive size, the Berge Stahl can only tie up, fully loaded, at two ports in the world, hauling ore from the Terminal MarÃtimo de Ponta da Madeira in Brazil to the Europoort near Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Even at these ports, passage must be timed to coincide with high tides to prevent the ship running aground. The Berge Stahl makes this trip about ten times each year, or a round-trip about every five weeks. In September of 2006, the ship carried ore to the port of Majishan, China, where she was dry-docked and given her twenty-year inspection. On the return voyage to Rotterdam, she picked up a partial load of ore in Dampier, Western Australia, and Saldanha Bay in South Africa (where the maximum depth permitted is 21 m).
Aircraft Carrier - USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise (CVN-65), formerly CVA(N)-65, is the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name. Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed the "Big E." At 1,123feet (342.3m), she is the longest naval vessel in the world, though her 93,500tons displacement places her as the second heaviest supercarrier, surpassed only by the Nimitz-class.
General Characteristics
| Length: | 342m (1.123 ft) |
| Beam: | 40,5 (132,8 ft) |
| Draft: | 12 m (39 ft) |
Enterprise is currently homeported at Norfolk, Virginia. As one of the oldest carriers in the fleet, she is scheduled for decommissioning in 2014-2015. Her intended replacement is the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). Her current commanding officer is Captain Ronald Horton.
In 1958 Enterprise’s keel was laid at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. On September 24, 1960 the ship was launched for the first time, sponsored by Mrs. W. B. Franke, wife of the former Secretary of the Navy. On November 25, 1961 the Enterprise was commissioned, with Captain Vincent P. DePoix in command. On January 12, 1962 the ship then made its maiden voyage conducting a three-month shakedown cruise. After commissioning, Enterprise began a lengthy series of tests and training exercises designed to determine the full capabilities of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
USS Enterprise is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2014-2015, with the exact year dependent on the state of the nuclear fuel currently in the carrier’s reactors. The subsequent fate of Enterprise is, as of yet, unknown. One possibility is that the CVN-65 may end up as an aircraft-carrier museum ship, because Enterprise is the world’s first nuclear powered aircraft carrier and the only remaining ship in the lineage of U.S. Navy ships namedEnterprise. It is also possible that she could end up in the Ship-Submarine recycling program, in which case Enterprise would become the first nuclear powered carrier to be dismantled as part of the program.
Because of the huge cost of her construction, Enterprise was launched and commissioned without the planned Terrier missile launchers. These were never installed and the ship’s self-defense suite instead consisted of three shorter ranged RIM-7 Sea Sparrow, Basic Point Defense Missile System (BPDMS) launchers. Later upgraded to carry two NATO Sea Sparrow (NSSM) and three Mk. 71 Phalanx CIWS gun mounts. One CIWS mount was later removed and two 21 cell RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers were added.
Cruise Ships - Oasis Class (Oasis of the Seas)
The Oasis class (formerly known as Project Genesis) is a class of Royal Caribbean International cruise ships that are the world's largest passenger ships. Two ships were ordered in February 2006, named Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. Oasis of the Seas was completed and delivered on October 28, 2009, while Allure of the Seas is under construction and is expected to be completed by late 2010.
General Characteristics
| Tonnage: | 225,282 GT |
| Length: | 360 m (1,181 ft) |
| Beam: | 47 m (154 ft) waterline
60.5 m (236 ft) extreme |
| Draft: | 9,3 m (31 ft) |
| Capacity: | 5,400 passengers double occupancy; 6,296 total |
The Oasis class have surpassed the earlier Freedom class as the world's largest passenger ships. At 360 m (1,180 feet) in length Oasis is 21 metres (69 ft) longer than the prior largest passenger ship, the Independence of the Seas and classmates. Oasis also is 8.5 metres (28 ft) wider, and with a gross tonnage of 225,282, is almost 45% larger. Oasis class vessels carry over 5,400 passengers.
Like the Freedom class, the Oasis class ships are built by STX Europe (formerly Aker Yards) in Turku, Finland. The first of the Oasis class, priced at US$1.24 billion (€ 900 million) reportedly is the most expensive commercial ship ever built. The option for a second ship of the class was exercised by Royal Caribbean on April 2, 2007. The second ship is to be delivered by STX Europe in August 2010.
On December 11, 2007, the keel of the first vessel of the class was laid down in Turku. In early 2008, Royal Caribbean ended months of speculation by announcing that their two Oasis class ships would be based year-round at Port Everglades, Florida.
On April 15, 2008, Royal Caribbean held a press conference in New York City to release the first official information and renderings of "Central Park", a 5-deck high area in the middle of the ship, open to the sky and filled with lush tropical gardens, upscale restaurants and shops. The area, one of seven "neighborhoods" onboard the ship, also features the Rising Tide Bar, which will move up and down through 3 decks. There will be 334 staterooms overlooking the Park, 254 with balconies - four of which are wheelchair accessible. Two arched-glass domes in Central Park called the Crystal Canopies will provide sunlight into the ship's inner public spaces.
they are the largest ships in the world right now. Let’s all hope they won’t share the Titanic destiny.
sharing is caring ~(^-^)~
~~~miz.adeqla~~~
