In the logistics industry, there's always a need to lift something heavy or bulky, and lately, these needs seem to be getting increasingly large. Fortunately, new devices and new vessels spring up to meet the need just as it develops. Large loads and the machines that lift them are quite compelling images of today's industrial landscape.
Jahre Viking (now Knock Nevis)
The Jahre Viking as a fully operating vessel was 1,504 feet long and 226 feet wide. When fully loaded, it was 80 feet deep. Its gross weight when loaded was over 900,000 tons; un-laden, it was 621,000 metric tons (more than 10 times the weight of the Titanic). The ship took 5.5 miles to stop and had a turning circle of 2 miles. The mariners, who were aboard, made use of bicycles to move about the ship. It was too unmanageable to negotiate the English Channel.
Jahre Viking: Bow View
The Jahre Viking could hold, at full capacity, 4.2 million barrels of crude oil (equal to about 170 million gallons). When they said "fill 'er up," it really meant something. The Eiffel Tower could fit comfortably on its deck. Its width was equivalent to two Titanic ships side by side.
Blue Marlin
The Blue Marlin is 738 feet long. Its deck is a massive 207 feet by 585 feet, and its dead weight comes out to 76,061 tons. Pictured, it appears afloat on the sea, rather than in its semi-submersion condition. The Blue Marlin, being a semi-submersible, is able to take on a huge oversized load. The ballast system not only lifts the ship but also the load on the ship.
Thunder Horse In Transit
The Thunder Horse oil rig platform is 511 feet long, 373 feet wide and 433 feet high. It weighs 59,500 tons. Its height makes it more than 40 stories tall. After its Gulf of Mexico positioning, the platform did have a tilting problem that was later corrected.
Thunder Horse At Sea
Thunder Horse is used by BP and Exxon Mobil to produce oil and gas from the Thunder Horse field located in the Gulf of Mexico. It is moored at mooring points in 5,900 feet of water. It will, when fully operative, produce 250,000 barrels of oil and 6 million cubic meters of gas each day. This yield is from 25 different wells.
Mighty Servant 3
The semi-submersible Mighty Servant 3 was 595 feet long, 40 meters wide and had a draft of 12 meters. Its gross tonnage was 22,391 tons. It could travel at 14 knots and had a 44-day range; it could move cargo weighing up to 25,000 tons.
Mighty Servant 3, Sinking
The Mighty Servant 3 sinks off the Coast of Angola on Dec. 6, 2006, after offloading a drilling platform (the oil rig GSF Aleutian Key). It is still below the water.