MV Irene SL

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History
Name: MV Irene SL
Owner: Flag of Greece.svg First Navigational Special Maritime Enterprise, Greece [1]
Operator: Flag of Greece.svg Enesel S. A., Greece [1]
Port of registry: Flag of Greece.svg Piraeus, Greece
Route: Fujairah to United States
Builder: Hyundai Heavy Industries, South Korea
Completed: 2004
Identification:
Status: Hijacked by Somali pirates in February 2011 [2]
General characteristics
Tonnage:
  • 161,175  GT
  • 319,247  DWT
Length: 330 m (1,082 ft 8 in)
Beam: 60 m (196 ft 10 in)
Draught: 21 m (68 ft 11 in)
Draft: 22.5 m (73 ft 10 in) [3]
Propulsion: Diesel engine, 29,348 kW
Speed: 15.7 knots (29.1 km/h; 18.1 mph)
Capacity: 353,328 m3
Crew: 25 (February 2011) [2]

M/T Irene SL is a Greek-owned and -operated VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) or supertanker. [3] It was pirated presumably by Somali pirates on February 9, 2011 approximately 350 miles Southeast of Muscat, Oman in the Arabian Sea. [2]

Greece republic in Southeast Europe

Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, also known as Hellas, is a country located in Southeast Europe. Its population is approximately 10.7 million as of 2018; Athens is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Thessaloniki.

Arabian Sea A marginal sea of the northern Indian Ocean between the Arabian Peninsula and India

The Arabian Sea is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Peninsula, on the southeast by the Laccadive Sea, on the southwest by the Somali Sea, and on the east by India. Its total area is 3,862,000 km2 (1,491,000 sq mi) and its maximum depth is 4,652 metres (15,262 ft). The Gulf of Aden in the west connects the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea through the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Oman is in the northwest, connecting it to the Persian Gulf.

Contents

Built in 2004, the Irene SL has a gross tonnage of 161,175 GT with a displacement of 319,247 DWT. It is 330 metres (1,080 ft) long, has a beam of 60 metres (200 ft) and a draft of 22.5 metres (74 ft). [3] The vessel has a single deck and is double-hulled. Her sister ship is the 2005-built MV Argenta.

Gross tonnage

Gross tonnage is a nonlinear measure of a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage. Neither gross tonnage nor gross register tonnage should be confused with measures of mass or weight such as deadweight tonnage or displacement.

Deadweight tonnage unit of volume

Deadweight tonnage or tons deadweight (DWT) is a measure of how much weight a ship can carry, not its weight, empty or in any degree of load. DWT is the sum of the weights of cargo, fuel, fresh water, ballast water, provisions, passengers, and crew.

Beam (nautical) width of a ship at its widest point measured at its nominal waterline

The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point as measured at the ship's nominal waterline. The beam is a bearing projected at right-angles from the fore and aft line, outwards from the widest part of ship. Beam may also be used to define the maximum width of a ship's hull, or maximum width including superstructure overhangs.

When captured the ship was en route from Fujairah to the United States loaded with 2 million barrels of crude oil with an estimated value of $200 million. [4] The ship was captured one day after the pirates took control of another tanker, the MV Savina Caylin. With the use of larger mother ships since the end of 2010, pirates have extended their operational capabilities.

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city is New York City. Most of the country is located contiguously in North America between Canada and Mexico.

Three other VLCCs that have been ransomed by pirates are the Sirius Star , the Maran Centaurus , and the Samho Dream .

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Vessel Irene SL (24786)". DNV GL Vessel Register. Det Norske Veritas . Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 Eunavfor (February 9, 2011). "MV Irene SL Pirated in the North Arabian Sea". Archived from the original on February 12, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Auke Visser. "Auke Visser's International Super Tanker". Archived from the original on February 12, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  4. ↑ Oceanuslive.org (February 9, 2011). "Greek-flagged MV IRENE SL reported hijacked by pirates in the North Arabian Sea" . Retrieved February 9, 2011.
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