Prelude, the world's largest ship, launches

[DP]

The world's largest ship has hit the water in South Korea.

The 1,601-foot, 600,000-metric-ton vessel, called the Prelude, is a floating liquified-natural-gas facility owned by Shell. According to the Telegraph, the Prelude, which floated out of dry dock at the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoje, South Korea, took a year to build. When it officially launches in 2017, the ship is expected to produce 3.6 million metric tons of liquified natural gas per year by extracting gas from underwater seabeds off the coast of Western Australia, storing it at a frosty -260 degrees Fahrenheit.

But its the sheer size of the Prelude that has people talking.

The 243-foot-wide ship is 150 feet longer than the height of the Empire State Building. It boasts three 6,700-horsepower engines, has storage tanks that have a liquid capacity equal to 175 Olympic-size swimming pools, a 305-foot-high tower and a massive hull that was constructed in halves and joined in August.

According to Shell, it was designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane.

This is the whole article but there is a vid to look at:

http://news.yahoo.com/prelude-worlds-lar...02193.html

[freeradical]

Another pinprick for Putin.

[Lux Interior]

DP wrote: It boasts three 6,700-horsepower engines

Boasts? Seems a bit underpowered to me.

[blooz]

Why not? What could go wrong?

[SteveG]

from the description is seems to be more of barge with maneuvering motors.

[Uncle Wig]

That's a crazy big ship.

Lux Interior wrote:
[quote=DP] It boasts three 6,700-horsepower engines

Boasts? Seems a bit underpowered to me.
Depends on how fast you need it to go. The article doesn't say, but I'd doubt she can do much better than about 15 knots. (Just a guess.) By comparison, the SS United states boasted 245,000 shaft horsepower and could push 40 knots.

freeradical wrote:
Another pinprick for Putin.

Huh?

[DP]

Ships like these are the real reason sea levels are rising!

[Paul F.]

blooz wrote:
Why not? What could go wrong?

We should never do anything that might possibly go wrong... Ever. Too scary.

[Uncle Wig]

DP wrote:
Ships like these are the real reason sea levels are rising!

Hey! I was gonna make that joke (until I forgot).

[tenders]

Uncle Wig wrote:

[quote=Lux Interior]
[quote=DP] It boasts three 6,700-horsepower engines

Boasts? Seems a bit underpowered to me.
Depends on how fast you need it to go. The article doesn't say, but I'd doubt she can do much better than about 15 knots. (Just a guess.) By comparison, the SS United states boasted 245,000 shaft horsepower and could push 40 knots.
My 570' naval vessel had 16,000 horsepower across two shafts and 20 knots was top speed. I agree, this behemoth is not built for speed. I'd be surprised if she could do 10 knots. My guess would be, if the speed were at all impressive, they'd be talking about it!