Prairial (supertanker)
Prairial as Sea Brillince in July 1985. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Prairial |
| Owner | Compagnie Nationale de Navigation, France (as completed) |
| Operator | Elf Aquitaine (as completed) |
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | |
| Yard number | H26 |
| Launched | September 21, 1979 |
| Completed | December 1979 |
| Maiden voyage | 1979 |
| In service | December 1979 |
| Out of service | 2003 |
| Identification | IMO number: 7408720 |
| Fate | Scrapped in Gadani ship-breaking yard, Pakistan, September 2003. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Batillus-class ULCC |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 414.22 m (1,359 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 63.05 m (206 ft 10 in) |
| Draft | 28.60 m (93 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power | 47,840 kW (65,000 horsepower) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h) |
Prairial was a supertanker, built in 1979 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire for Compagnie Nationale de Navigation. Prairial, which was the fourth and final vessel of Batillus-class supertankers (the other three were Batillus, Bellamya and Pierre Guillaumat). She was the only ship of that class to have a career longer than ten years, sailing until 2003, although under different names: Sea Brilliance (1985), Hellas Fos (1986) and Sea Giant (1997). She is also distinguished as the third biggest ship ever constructed, surpassed in size only by Seawise Giant (later Jahre Viking, Happy Giant, Knock Nevis, and finally Mont) built in 1976 and subsequently lengthened, and her sister ship Pierre Guillaumat.
The vessel was completed and commissioned in 1979. As other ships of Batillus class, she was laid up, arriving at Vestnes, Norway on April 5, 1983, but was sold and recommissioned in 1985. She was in service under different names and owners until 2003, when she arrived at Gadani ship-breaking yard in order to be scrapped.