It was scrapped because it was a single hull tanker. No single hull tanker has been allowed into American or European harbors since about 2000. Instead it was used since then as a floating oil storage facility at a Qatari oilfield to top-up other tankers that could sail into these harbors
I was on this ship and the sea giant not the seawise giant but the sea giant in 2002-2003 in the Gulf of Mexico at the loop of off port Foutchon. They keep pushing the single skin date back and back.
Ships this size rarely if ever came in to harbors. Just too big. Most unloaded offshore at either a SPM-single point mooring facility or off loaded into lighters, smaller tankers that could navigate the harbor. The last I heard she was used offshore Dubai as storage facility before she was scraped.
Its crazy, this thing wasnt made to be the 2nd titanic, whoever built this wasnt interested in showing the world: LOOK WE GOT THE BIGGEST SHIP!" Its just they needed a giant oil tanker and they built one, and it happened to be the biggest ship in the world, atleast they preserved its anchor
Under severe weather i imagine piloting this monster must seem like running 4 freighters together because of how much twisting and bending then retracting the hull would be creating ,i cant comprehend it ive worked on great lakes ships during winter layup at 6-788'long doing repairs and seeing the stresses caused to plate ,bulkheads etc over time i imagine service work on this must be intense and how do you dry dock it???
I saw this ship at the entrance to the Persian Gulf, it had been hit by a missile in one of the gulf wars. I understand it has now been scrapped. It was so big that it wouldn't go into a port, just pump into another smaller tanker instead.
Luke Warm she wasn’t allowed into EU, UK, USA ports and others around the world to discharge because she was only a single skin. The minute she was launched she was obsolete
Hahaha! Clarkson with the rather racist commentary - typical stuck up British Imperialist. Poor old Capt Mohan there facing the onslaught under camera...
