Batillus

Dom, nice photo
Batillus
1976-1985 for Societe Maritime Shell, France).
Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France.
Yard No. V25, IMO No. 7360095, Callsign FNWJ.
Loa 414.22m, Beam 63.01m, Draft 28.5m, 554,000 DWT.
Twin Screw, Stal-Laval Turbines, 68,400 SHP, 16.5 Knots.
Launched 01/05/1976, Commissioned 25/06/1976.
Laid up 22/08/1983 to 08/11/1985, Vestnes, Norway.
Scrapped 22/12/1985, Kaoshiung, Taiwan.

Hello Dom
This is an excellent photo .
Thanks Steve for the info.
Cheers
Fred

First time i have seen a picture of this ship to compare it in size to another tanker. Looks like the other tanker about 12,000ton size. Unbeleivable how big she was.Must have been a sight to see her at sea sailing in ballast. Great picture. Dave

It is a good photograph - and on lots and lots of other sites, check this for the wilkipedia version and select the high resolution for a good look at the beast!!

saw this mega monster off Almwch SBM (Anglesey) in the 70's. and boy she was bloody massive!!!!

500 000 tons dedweight, this is one of the 3 tankers of BATILLUS type

There was actually four of this class built:

Batillus, built in 1976, scrapped in 1985.
Bellamya, built in 1976, scrapped in 1986.
Pierre Guillaumat, built in 1977, scrapped in 1983.
Prairial, built in 1979, renamed Hellas Fos, renamed Sea Giant, scrapped in 2003

Incredibly short lives for three of them!

meechingman said: Incredibly short lives for three of them!
That was probably due to the demand for tankers to have double hulls. Post 1992 - following the Exxon Valdez accident in 1989 - it became obligatory - but there had been calls for this long before and the Exxon Valdez was just one in a long series of disasters.

Could you tell me the name of the tanker alongside (BP)? and location please?

Its not an oil terminal, so is it the graveyard as suggested.

A most remarkable and excellent photograph though.

Thanyou

Michael