A ship classification society or ship classification organisation is a non-governmental organization that establishes and maintains technical standards for the construction and operation of ships and offshore structures. Classification societies certify that the construction of a vessel comply with relevant standards and carry out regular surveys in service to ensure continuing compliance with the standards. Currently, more than 50 organizations describe their activities as including marine classification, twelve of which are members of the International Association of Classification Societies.
The Batillus was a supertanker built in 1976 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire for the French branch of Shell Oil. The first vessel of the Batillus class, she was, together with her sister ships Bellamya, Pierre Guillaumat and Prairial, one of the biggest ships in the world, surpassed in size only by Seawise Giant built in 1976, and extended in 1981, although the four ships of the Batillus class had a larger gross tonnage. She was sold for scrap in 1985 after a prolonged downturn in the oil market made her economically impractical.
The Bellamya was a supertanker, built in 1976 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire for the French branch of Shell Oil. She was the second Batillus class supertanker. Bellamya, together with her sister ships Batillus, Pierre Guillaumat and Prairial, was one of the biggest ships in the world, surpassed in size only by Seawise Giant built in 1976, and extended in 1981, although the four ships of the Batillus class had a larger gross tonnage. If size is indicated by gross tonnage—a measure of volume—Bellamya was the largest ship ever built.
Polar Class (PC) refers to the ice class assigned to a ship by a classification society based on the Unified Requirements for Polar Class Ships developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). Seven Polar Classes are defined in the rules, ranging from PC 1 for year-round operation in all polar waters to PC 7 for summer and autumn operation in thin first-year ice.
The 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. 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 built in 1976 and subsequently lengthened, and her sister ship Pierre Guillaumat.
The Pierre Guillaumat was a supertanker built in 1977 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire for Compagnie Nationale de Navigation. It was the third vessel of Batillus class supertankers and distinguished for being the biggest ship ever constructed. It was surpassed in length, deadweight tonnage and displacement only by Seawise Giant, which, though it was originally smaller when it was built in 1976, was subsequently lengthened and enlarged.
M/T Irene SL is a Greek-owned and -operated VLCC or supertanker. It was pirated presumably by Somali pirates on February 9, 2011 approximately 350 miles Southeast of Muscat, Oman in the Arabian Sea.
LPG/C Ayame is a Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC), with a capacity of 83,000 m3 (2,900,000 cu ft), delivered in 2010 from MHI Ltd. of Nagasaki, and under the management of Wilhelmsen Lines Malaysia.
The Evergreen G class is a series of 11 container ships built for Evergreen Marine by Imabari Shipbuilding in Japan. The maximum theoretical capacity of these ships is in the range of 20,124 to 20,388 standard shipping containers.
The Creation class is a series of similar sized container ships built for Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and now operated by Ocean Network Express (ONE). The ships were built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki Shipyard and Koyo Dockyard in Japan and have a maximum theoretical capacity of around 8,110 to 8,560 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
The EvergreenF class is a series of 20 container ships built for Evergreen Marine. The ships have a maximal theoretical capacity of around 12,100 TEU. The first ship of this class was delivered in 2020 and built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea. Samsung Heavy Industries built eight ships in total. A further 12 ships were built by Imabari Shipbuilding at their Marugame and Hiroshima shipyards with delivery starting in 2021.
The Evergreen L class is a series of 30 container ships built for Evergreen Marine. The ships were built by Samsung Heavy Industries in Korea and CSBC Corporation in Taiwan. These ships have a maximum theoretical capacity of around 8,500 to 9,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
The Evergreen B class is a series of 20 container ships built for Evergreen Marine. The ships were built by CSBC Corporation in Taiwan and Imabari Shipbuilding in Japan. The ships have a maximum theoretical capacity of around 2,800 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
The Evergreen S class is a series of 10 container ships built for Evergreen Marine. The ships were built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at their Kobe shipyard in Japan. The ships have a maximum theoretical capacity of around 6,944 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
The Maestro class is a series of 10 container ships originally built for Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and later operated by Ocean Network Express (ONE). The ships were built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at their Kobe and Nagasaki shipyards in Japan. The ships have a maximum theoretical capacity of around 6,724 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
