# French supertanker Pierre Guillaumat



## mytg8 (Jan 24, 2010)

Regarding the Pierre Guillaumat--http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/id38.htm

in 1983 she suffered an explosion and was subsequently scrapped. Anyone recall any details? What happened? Oil gas explosion? Sabotage? Apparently it was bad enough to declare the ship a total loss.

Thanks for your help.


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## zelo1954 (Apr 5, 2005)

mytg8 said:


> Regarding the Pierre Guillaumat--http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/id38.htm
> 
> in 1983 she suffered an explosion and was subsequently scrapped. Anyone recall any details? What happened? Oil gas explosion? Sabotage? Apparently it was bad enough to declare the ship a total loss.
> 
> Thanks for your help.


I must say this is the first I've heard of this. A quick search via Google has also revealed nothing. I wonder if you are confusing her with Seawise Giant:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knock_Nevis

These 550000 tonners built at St Nazaire turned out to be white elephants:
Batillus, built in 1976, scrapped in 1985
Bellamya, built in 1976, scrapped in 1986
Pierre Guillaumat, built in 1977, scrapped in 1983
Prairial, built in 1979, renamed Hellas Fos, renamed Sea Giant, scrapped in 2003


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## Billieboy (May 18, 2009)

Pierre Guillaumat was sister to Battilus and Bellamya, virtually off the same drawing board. The main problem was that Crude was being purchased in parcels of 100k M³ when prices were below US$25/bbl.; as the price rose, the number of parcels available for pick-up became fewer and fewer. Thus, it was becoming more and more costly for the owners, a) waiting, b) lightening, c) covering admixture claims. Also, it was eventually proven that it was impossible to run a vessel of this size with a total crew of 14 or less. The final straw was the escalation of the fuel price, 320 tons per day HFO became a very large millstone.


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## mytg8 (Jan 24, 2010)

zelo1954 said:


> I must say this is the first I've heard of this. A quick search via Google has also revealed nothing. I wonder if you are confusing her with Seawise Giant:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knock_Nevis
> 
> These 550000 tonners built at St Nazaire turned out to be white elephants:
> ...


No, I'm not confusing her with the Seawise Giant. Like you, I couldn't find anything on Google either.

She was one of the Batillus class sisters, at one time the largest ships ever built. I was keeping track of them at the time(early 1980s) and she disappeared from lists of ships in commission. A perusal of shipping journals(I think it was 'Marine Log') later I found out she had suffered an oil explosion. If I remember correctly, it was in the middle East somewhere. No other details.

You're correct, they were financial disasters and I guess her owners jumped at the possibility (after collecting insurance claims) of selling her off.


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## jerome morris (May 27, 2008)

Does anyone know if some sort of plans are out there for these behemoths.
After working on a small, 32000 tonner for Mobil Oil. I've often though a model comparison project would be kind of neat.


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## Billieboy (May 18, 2009)

jerome morris said:


> Does anyone know if some sort of plans are out there for these behemoths.
> After working on a small, 32000 tonner for Mobil Oil. I've often though a model comparison project would be kind of neat.


Don't have any plans, but as I remember, the hulls had four tanks across and ten fore to aft. They also had two screws and two rudders, The tank depth from the ullage port was more than 27 meters, the ships had specially made sounding and ullaging tapes, as well as the deepest teledip machines afloat.


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## jerome morris (May 27, 2008)

Thanks for the information...it's a good start in the right direction.
27 meters...Youza...that's deep.
I would have been impressed to explore one of these giants, working with Mobil on there ships...seemed like a long way to the tank bottom at the time.


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## BlythSpirit (Dec 17, 2006)

Jerome have a look here for the Batillus drawing which was a sistership

http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/id140.htm


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## mytg8 (Jan 24, 2010)

jerome morris said:


> Does anyone know if some sort of plans are out there for these behemoths.
> After working on a small, 32000 tonner for Mobil Oil. I've often though a model comparison project would be kind of neat.


Back in the '70s, I sent a letter to ALSTHOM, Chantiers de L' Atlantique, St. Nazaire, the shipyard where they were built. They sent me a big set of plans with all their lines(which aren't much on ULCC's except fore and aft ). And they sent them to me across the pond--at no charge! Noble of them.

I misplaced the set, sorry, but mail them a request and they may do it for you.


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## jerome morris (May 27, 2008)

I'll do just that, Thanks mytg8.
I've pulled up Auke Vissers site and get a message that the images are over size for photobucket?


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