Batillus-class supertankers

The Batillus in dry dock

The Batillus class was a series of four identical ULCC tankers. The ships were built in the years 1976 to 1979 with French shipbuilder Chantiers de l' Atlantique and at the time were the largest ships in the world.

History

The economic background to the construction of the largest tankers was that of 1967 continued to 1975 closure of the Suez Canal. During these years, the shipping industry was forced to travel on the routes from the Persian Gulf to Europe or the United States a detour around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. This led to an unprecedented growth in the size tanker. After the French Tankreederei Societe Maritime Shell had calculated that investment and operating costs of two very large ships would be more advantageous than the four originally envisaged smaller tankers, were at the shipyard on 6 April 1971, the first two ships of the Batillus class, the Batillus and Bellamya ordered. In January 1975, the shipyard began with the cutting of the first steel parts for the Batillus. The undocking of Batillus took place in May 1976 and the 25th of the following month, the shipyard delivered the lead ship of the series to the client. The Bellamya followed about six months later.

The ships