110 Thousand Tons! How the World's Largest Semi-Submersible Cargo Ship, the BOKA Vanguard, Transported a Historic Weight

110 Thousand Tons! How the World’s Largest Semi-Submersible Cargo Ship, the BOKA Vanguard, Transported a Historic Weight

Written by Rafaela Fabris

Published on 25/11/2024 at 20:13

Updated on 25/11/2024 at 20:14

BOKA Vanguard: o maior cargueiro que supera limites dos oceanos (Imagem: Reprodução)

71 people reacted to this.

The Largest Semi-Submersible Freighter in the World Starred in an Impressive Operation Transporting 90 Thousand Tons of Concrete to the Philippines.

In May 2022, the BOKA Vanguard, known as the largest semi-submersible freighter in the world, performed one of the most challenging maneuvers ever carried out at the port of Punta Langosteira in A Coruña. The mission? To transport six colossal concrete coffins, each weighing 15 thousand tons, for the expansion of an airport in the Philippines. An operation that highlighted the strength and ingenuity of this impressive vessel.

The BOKA Vanguard is frequently hailed as the largest semi-submersible freighter in the world, a title earned thanks to its innovative design and impressive loading capacity. At 275 meters long, 70 meters wide, and 15.5 meters deep, the ship is capable of carrying structures of up to 110 thousand tons – equivalent to the weight of hundreds of Boeing 747 aircraft. Compared to other giants of the seas, such as the largest oil tankers in the world, the BOKA Vanguard stands out for its unique semi-submersible capability.

110 thousand tons! How the largest semi-submersible freighter in the world, the BOKA Vanguard, transported a historic weight — The BOKA Vanguard, about to load the sixth and final concrete box it will transport to the Philippines

Largest Semi-Submersible Freighter in the World Meets Demanding Needs

Designed to meet the most demanding needs of the offshore industry, the freighter can transport oil platforms, FPSOs, other gigantic ships, or even immense blocks of concrete, like those created by Acciona for the project in Galicia. In addition, the BOKA Vanguard can also act as a floating dry dock, allowing repairs in the middle of the ocean.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

How Does It Do That?

The magic behind the BOKA Vanguard lies in its design. The ship can take on ballast, submerging the deck until the load floats and is positioned correctly. Once in place, the ballast is released, and the ship raises the deck, safely carrying the structure. This operation, carried out in 2022, allowed the six concrete giants to be transported in a single historic trip.

After loading the 90 thousand tons at the port of Punta Langosteira, the freighter headed to the Ares estuary, where final adjustments ensured the safety of the cargo before crossing thousands of kilometers to the Philippines.

More Than a Record

The creation of the BOKA Vanguard was not a whim, but a necessity to meet the growing demand for complex logistical operations. Built between 2011 and 2012 in Korea, the ship was commissioned by Dockwise to overcome the limitations of its predecessors. The name change to BOKA Vanguard came in 2018, when Boskalis reaffirmed the ship’s prominence in high-complexity operations.

In addition to being a milestone in naval engineering, the largest semi-submersible freighter in the world also reduces operational costs by transporting larger and heavier structures in a single trip, increasing the efficiency of operations.

Operations like that in A Coruña are evidence of the versatility and power of the BOKA Vanguard. Whether transporting gigantic platforms or concrete coffins weighing 15 thousand tons, the largest semi-submersible freighter in the world continues to navigate the oceans and redefine the limits of maritime engineering.

2 Comments

most recent

older Most voted

Built-in feedback

View all comments

Anderson Baldin

#88154

02/12/2024 08:10

Caracas aí sim nota 10 p o capitão tbem né .

Respond

Josué Domingues

#88155

Reply to Anderson Baldin

02/12/2024 08:11

Se o capitão é tão nota 10, como o artigo não foi encontrado?

Respond

110 Thousand Tons! How the World’s Largest Semi-Submersible Cargo Ship, the BOKA Vanguard, Transported a Historic Weight

The Largest Semi-Submersible Freighter in the World Starred in an Impressive Operation Transporting 90 Thousand Tons of Concrete to the Philippines.

Largest Semi-Submersible Freighter in the World Meets Demanding Needs

How Does It Do That?

More Than a Record

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Engineers had to pour concrete mixed with tons of ice throughout entire nights in the Dubai desert to erect the Burj Khalifa; any carelessness could clog the pipes half a mile high.

The James Webb telescope spotted a planet 700 light-years from Earth with mornings full of sand clouds and nights with clear skies, the temperature difference between the two hemispheres reaches an impressive 170 degrees.

Air bubbles from 3 million years ago extracted from Antarctic ice reveal that the current level of CO₂ has already surpassed that of the ancient, warm world, when the sea was up to 20 meters higher and there were no factories or cars burning fuel.

Brazil went to China to seek money and technology to reinvent TV and bring the internet to places where fiber does not reach. The mission negotiated with the BRICS Bank led by Dilma and paved the way for a Chinese rival of Starlink to connect the Amazon.

About 150 workers are driving, one by one, 4,585 BYD electric cars off a 220-meter ship at the Port of Itajaí. The 48-hour mega-operation is the largest shipment from the Chinese automaker in Santa Catarina this year.

Iceland is going to lower a drill five kilometers to reach rock at 400 degrees and try to extract clean energy on a scale that a common well cannot achieve.

110 Thousand Tons! How the World’s Largest Semi-Submersible Cargo Ship, the BOKA Vanguard, Transported a Historic Weight

The Largest Semi-Submersible Freighter in the World Starred in an Impressive Operation Transporting 90 Thousand Tons of Concrete to the Philippines.

Largest Semi-Submersible Freighter in the World Meets Demanding Needs

How Does It Do That?

More Than a Record

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Engineers had to pour concrete mixed with tons of ice throughout entire nights in the Dubai desert to erect the Burj Khalifa; any carelessness could clog the pipes half a mile high.

The James Webb telescope spotted a planet 700 light-years from Earth with mornings full of sand clouds and nights with clear skies, the temperature difference between the two hemispheres reaches an impressive 170 degrees.

While rural areas in Namibia suffer from invasive bushes that destroy pastures, a project transforms the brush into edible mushrooms and biological blocks, creating housing and income for local communities affected by the housing deficit.

From Waste to Construction: Ground Eggshells Enter Concrete, Reduce Carbon Emissions, Save Cement, and Demonstrate Innovation in Sustainable Materials

While tons of grape pomace are discarded in Brazilian wineries, researchers are transforming grape residues into bricks and adobe that reduce waste, improve thermal insulation, and pave the way for large-scale sustainable construction.

Used jeans are shredded and transformed into insulation blankets for walls and ceilings, rescuing millions of dollars of textile waste from landfills, increasing comfort in construction, and reducing heating and cooling costs.

Houses built with earth bricks and olive residue can take up to three times longer to heat, utilize leftovers from the olive oil industry, and bring energy savings.

Air bubbles from 3 million years ago extracted from Antarctic ice reveal that the current level of CO₂ has already surpassed that of the ancient, warm world, when the sea was up to 20 meters higher and there were no factories or cars burning fuel.

Brazil went to China to seek money and technology to reinvent TV and bring the internet to places where fiber does not reach. The mission negotiated with the BRICS Bank led by Dilma and paved the way for a Chinese rival of Starlink to connect the Amazon.

About 150 workers are driving, one by one, 4,585 BYD electric cars off a 220-meter ship at the Port of Itajaí. The 48-hour mega-operation is the largest shipment from the Chinese automaker in Santa Catarina this year.

Iceland is going to lower a drill five kilometers to reach rock at 400 degrees and try to extract clean energy on a scale that a common well cannot achieve.