Allseas to build world's biggest ship

A Swiss-based shipping group has begun work on what will be the biggest ship ever built.

The Pieter Schelte, envisaged as two supertankers joined in a catamaran design, will be used to decommission oil platforms in deep-water areas. It is the brainchild of Edward Heerema, the president of Allseas, the shipping and engineering group. The ship will be designed so that it can come alongside an oil platform, slice off the top half, then turn around, and pull up the legs from the seabed. Industry sources estimate that the ship will cost more than £1bn to build. It will have a lift capacity of 48,000 tonnes for topsides and 25,000 tonnes for jackets or legs. It will travel at a speed of 12 knots. The current design is for the ship to be 1,200ft long and 400ft wide - making it larger than the world's biggest oil tanker. It will displace 840,000 tonnes, making it the world's biggest ship. Allseas hopes to be able to take delivery of the ship in 2010.
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