# Batillus

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***Batillus*** was a [supertanker](/source/Supertanker) built in 1976 by [Chantiers de l'Atlantique](/source/Chantiers_de_l'Atlantique) at [Saint-Nazaire](/source/Saint-Nazaire) for the French branch of [Shell Oil](/source/Shell_Oil). The first vessel of the [*Batillus*-class supertanker](/source/Batillus-class_supertanker), she was, together with her sister ships [*Bellamya*](/source/Bellamya), [*Pierre Guillaumat*](/source/Pierre_Guillaumat_(supertanker)) and *[Prairial](/source/Hellas_Fos)*, one of the biggest ships in the world, surpassed in size only by [*Seawise Giant*](/source/Seawise_Giant)[10][11] (later *Jahre Viking*, *Happy Giant* and *Knock Nevis*) built in 1976, and extended in 1981, although the four ships of the *Batillus* class had a larger [gross tonnage](/source/Gross_tonnage). She was sold for [scrap](/source/Ship_breaking) in 1985 after a prolonged downturn in the oil market made her economically impractical.

## History

The contract to build the *Batillus*-class supertankers was signed on 6 April 1971, and the first sheet metal was cut in January 1975. Meanwhile, the [oil shock](/source/1973_oil_crisis) caused by the [Yom Kippur War](/source/Yom_Kippur_War) in October 1973, resulted in higher [oil](/source/Petroleum) prices and reduction of imports from industrialized countries. The cancellation of the order had been seriously considered, but [Shell](/source/Shell_plc) concluded that it was better to continue, mostly to not put the [shipyard](/source/Shipyard) in very difficult position with withdrawal of such a huge, already initiated project, (the work commitments were already well advanced, with extremely heavy cancellation charges) hoping also on better times in future.

The ship was completed and put in service in 1976, simultaneously with new, purposely built, oil terminal [Antifer](/source/Antifer_(France)), near [Le Havre](/source/Le_Havre), one of very few ports in the world capable of accommodating *Batillus*-class tankers. Her first [captain](/source/Sea_captain) was Roger Priser. She made a total of 25 voyages between the [Persian Gulf](/source/Persian_Gulf) and northern Europe, and one-off sail between the Persian Gulf and [Curaçao](/source/Cura%C3%A7ao) in June–July 1977, a total of 20 dockings to Antifer. In the Persian Gulf, oil terminals that served were [Mina al Fahal](/source/Mina_al_Fahal) (Oman), [Halul](/source/Halul_Island) island (Qatar), [Kharg Island](/source/Kharg_Island) (Iran), [Ras Tanura](/source/Ras_Tanura), [Ras al-Ju'aymah](/source/Ras_al-Ju'aymah) (Saudi Arabia), [Mina Al-Ahmadi](/source/Mina_Al-Ahmadi) and [Sea Island](/source/Sea_Island_(Kuwait)) (Kuwait). In Europe, the only other port of call was [Europoort](/source/Europoort), [Rotterdam](/source/Rotterdam), but there were also [transloadings](/source/Transloading) at sea to smaller units in England and [Irish Sea](/source/Irish_Sea).

The international oil market, however, did not improve, and while from 1977 to 1980, *Batillus* performed four to five regular trips per year, she had a bit more than two trips in 1981 and three in 1982. From early November 1982, she was in permanent waiting for cargo at the Gulf entrance, until June 1983 when the last oil shipment was embarked. From 22 August 1983, to 8 November 1985, *Batillus* was moored at [Vestnes](/source/Vestnes_(village)), Norway.[12] On 17 October 1985, Royal Dutch Shell decided to sell the ship for scrap, for less than $8 million. Her last voyage was from Vestnes to [Kaohsiung](/source/Kaohsiung), Taiwan, where she arrived on 28 December 1985, to be [scrapped](/source/Ship_breaking).

## Technical data

The ship's [length overall](/source/Length_overall) was 414.22 meters (1,359 ft 0 in), her [beam](/source/Beam_(nautical)) 63.01 m (206 ft 9 in), and [draft](/source/Draft_(hull)) 28.50 m (93 ft 6 in). *Batillus* was measured at and >. Propulsion was provided by two propellers each driven by two [Stal-Laval](/source/Stal-Laval) [steam turbines](/source/Steam_turbine) developing a single capacity of 24,200 kW (32,500 horsepower) per turbine. The service speed was 16.7 knots (30.9 km/h; 19.2 mph), with fuel consumption of about 330 tonnes (320 long tons; 360 short tons)[2] of heavy oil per day and fuel enough for 42 days.

The cargo was carried in 40 [tanks](/source/Storage_tank) with a total volume of 677,300 m3 (4,260,000 bbl). They were divided into central and lateral tanks, whose dimensions were designed to considerably reduce the risk of pollution caused by collision or grounding. Ahead of the international standards of the time, the wing tanks had a maximum unit volume not exceeding 17,000 m3 (110,000 bbl), which was reduced to 9,000 m3 (57,000 bbl) in the most vulnerable parts of ship.

## References

1. ["Batillus"](http://www.helderline.nl/tanker/262/Batillus/). helderline.nl.

1. ["Batillus"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100713231051/http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/id22.htm). Auke Visser's International Super Tankers. Archived from [the original](http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/id22.htm) on 13 July 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2010.

1. ["Tanker ss. Batillus"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120220034422/http://www.shipsandharbours.com/picture/number629.asp). shipsandharbours.com. Archived from [the original](http://www.shipsandharbours.com/picture/number629.asp) on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2010.

1. The Tanker Register 1978 page 61 ISSN 0305-179X

1. ["Batillus"](https://www.naviecapitani.it/Navi%20e%20Capitani/gallerie%20navi/Petroliere/schede/B/Batillus.htm) (in Italian). *naviecapitani.it*. Retrieved 11 April 2024.

1. ["Los buques mas grandes"](http://www.histarmar.com.ar/InfGral/ULCC/VLCCs-1.htm). HISTARMAR.

1. ["Les pétroliers de 550.000 tonnes"](http://www.marine-marchande.net/Reportages/500.000/500000.htm). Marine Marchande.

1. [Marine-marchande.net](http://www.marine-marchande.net/groupe%20mar-mar/Documents/Photos2/Batillus.htm)

1. [Auke Visser´s International Super Tankers](http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/id22.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100713231051/http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/id22.htm) 13 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine.

1. ["Jahre Viking - ( Biggest Ship Ever, After Reconstruction )"](http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/id23.htm). Auke Visser's International Super Tankers.

1. ["Knock Nevis ex. Jahre Viking"](http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/id132.htm). Auke Visser's International Super Tankers.

1. ["Size restricts vessels' employment"](http://www.odt.co.nz/news/business/84784/size-restricts-vessels039-employment). *Otago Daily Times*. 7 December 2009.

## External links

- [Gallery and technical information at aukevisser.nl](http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/id22.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100713231051/http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/id22.htm) 13 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- [Building the Batillus at aukevisser.nl](http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/id316.htm)
- [Article "Le Marin" du 5 juillet 1996 - Textes et photos : Gérard Cornier](https://web.archive.org/web/20120303133022/http://www.crefmpm.com/article.php3?id_article=66) (in French)
- [Batillus at helderline.nl](http://www.helderline.nl/tanker/262/Batillus/)
- [Les pétroliers de 550.000 tonnes Jacques Girard](http://www.marine-marchande.net/Reportages/500.000/500000.htm) Gallery and various information (in French)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Batillus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batillus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batillus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.