The TI Class of ships are the four largest double-hulled supertankers in the world and are, as of 2010, the largest ocean going ships, since the previous largest one, the single hulled supertanker Seawise Giant, was scrapped in 2010. The class comprises the ships TI Africa, TI Asia, TI Europe and TI Oceania, where the "TI" refers to the VLCC Tanker Pool operator Tankers International L.L.C. The class were the first ULCCs (Ultra-large crude carriers) to be built for 25 years.

History

All four oil tanker

Oil tanker

An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...

s were constructed for shipping company Hellespont by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in Okpo

Okpo

Okpo-dong is dong of the city of Geoje in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The village is located on the eastern coast of Geoje Island and a center of the island....

, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

 in 2002/3. The class was originally named the Hellespont Alhambra, Hellespont Fairfax, Hellespont Metropolis and Hellespont Tara. In 2004 the class was jointly purchased. Overseas Shipholding Group

Overseas Shipholding Group

Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. is one of the largest oil tanker operating companies in the world. It is based in New York City....

 (OSG) purchased Hellespont Fairfax and Hellespont Tara, renaming them TI Oceania and TI Africa respectively flagged for the Marshall Islands. Euronav

Euronav

Euronav is an independent tanker company engaged in the ocean transportation of crude oil and petroleum products. The company is compliant with the International Safety Management Code requirements, which assure a high level of safety and environmental protection...

 NV, a Belgian shipowner, purchased Hellespont Alhambra and Hellespont Metropolis and renamed them TI Asia and TI Europe respectively flagged Belgium.
The class possess a relatively high service speed (16.5 knots laden, 17.5 knots in ballast), which increases their earning capacity. The steel scantling

Scantling

Scantling is a measurement of prescribed size, dimensions, or cross sectional areas. For comparison, see Form Factor: -Shipping:In shipbuilding, the scantling refers to the collective dimensions of the various parts, particularly the framing and structural supports. The word is most often used in...

s are greater than the class minimum.

The ship is shorter than the old Panama Canal locks, but 10 metres wider than the new canal locks, so will be too large to pass through when the new locks open.

The coatings in the ballast tanks are protected by two features, a full time double-scrubbing system supplying drier inert gas

Inert gas

An inert gas is a non-reactive gas used during chemical synthesis, chemical analysis, or preservation of reactive materials. Inert gases are selected for specific settings for which they are functionally inert since the cost of the gas and the cost of purifying the gas are usually a consideration...

 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

Hydrocarbon

In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons from which one hydrogen atom has been removed are functional groups, called hydrocarbyls....

 emissions.

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

Conversion

In 2010, TI Asia and TI Africa met the same fate as the former Knock Nevis

Knock Nevis

Seawise Giant, later Happy Giant, Jahre Viking, and Knock Nevis, was a ULCC supertanker and the longest ship ever built, and possessed the greatest deadweight tonnage ever recorded...

and were converted into FSO oil storage vessels. The extensive conversions were carried out for Euronav OSG by Dubai Dockyards. The units were to be placed in the Al Shaheen oilfield near Qatar

Qatar

Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...

 in late 2009.
Specifications:

• Built: 2002/3
• Type: ULCC (Ultra Large Crude Carrier) (V-Plus)
• Gross:
• Net:
• Dwt:
• Displacement: 67,829 long tons light ship; 509,484 long tons full load
• LOA (Length overall): 380 m (1,246.7 ft)
• Breadth: 68 m (223.1 ft)
• Depth: 34 m (111.5 ft)
• Draught
  Draft (hull)
  The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
  
  : 24.525 m (80.5 ft)
• Capacity: 441,585 DWT
  Deadweight tonnage
  Deadweight tonnage is a measure of how much weight a ship is carrying or can safely carry. It is the sum of the weights of cargo, fuel, fresh water, ballast water, provisions, passengers, and crew...
  
  , 3166353 barrels (503,409,898.5 l)

External links

• ship-photos.de: Categorized ship photos including photos of Hellespont Fairfax's Sisterships
• Hellespont homepage