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.
CCGS Captain Molly Kool is a Canadian Coast Guard converted medium class icebreaker. She was originally built as an icebreaking anchor handling tug Vidar Viking for Trans Viking Icebreaking & Offshore in 2001. The vessel was acquired by the Canadian Coast Guard in August 2018 and was commissioned in May of the next year after refit. She is named after the Canadian sailor, Molly Kool.
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.
SS Pendleton was a Type T2-SE-A1 tanker built in 1942 in Portland, Oregon, United States, for the War Shipping Administration. She was sold in 1948 to National Bulk Carriers, serving until February 1952 when she broke in two in a storm. The T2 tanker ships were prone to splitting in two in cold weather. The ship's sinking and crew rescue is the topic of the 2009 book The Finest Hours: The True Story Behind the US Coast Guard's Most Daring Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. The book inspired the 2016 Disney-produced film The Finest Hours with Chris Pine, which focuses on the Pendleton rescue.
ACX Crystal is a container ship built in South Korea in 2008. In June, 2017, the ship was damaged in a collision with USS Fitzgerald south of Yokosuka, Japan.
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).
The Barber Asphalt Company, founded in 1883 by Amzi L. Barber, initially started in Washington, D.C. and later moved its headquarters to New York City. The company leased the largest known asphalt deposit at Pitch Lake, Trinidad in 1888 and expanded its operations with various offices and subsidiaries. After several mergers and name changes, including a joint venture with Standard Oil in 1946, the company played a significant role in paving millions of miles of roads. The Barber Asphalt Company also operated a fleet of tankers and coal ships which were used to contribute to the US Merchant Navy during World War II. The company closed in 1981, selling its assets to various corporations.
