Thor ECOPEMEX
IMO : ?? 8614209
Build : 1987 by C. Luhring Schiffswert Gmbh & Co kg – Brake in West Germany, nr ?? as Pemex 654
WTF is that?? asked Mike from Gcaptain in this post……and Robert & Philip knew and answered the obvious question. They initially thought the above vessel to be the Thor, and to immediately calm your nerves: this ship is not accidentally split in two, she is designed to do that. She is especially designed to clean up spilled oil from the seas she serves on, the split hulls collect the oil in between them where it gets sucked up and stored in the vessels own tanks. Pretty clever design but what a very strange sight…….Very much suited to this site then!
The Thor in “normal transit” mode :
Dunno source, via the Interwebs
And in “oil-cleaning” mode :
Dunno source, via the Interwebs
Dunno source, via the Interwebs
But after some more research they concluded that most probably the original picture is the Eversand Y1644 (IMO : 8705101), a vessel of the same class but somewhat bigger….still extremely strange though!
The 2 hulls open up to a maximum of 65 degrees using a giant hinge at the stern of the vessel, a pretty impressive construction!
And there is a third sister as well: the Bottsand Y 1643 (IMO : 8321632).
Dunno source, via the Interwebs
Dunno source, via the Interwebs
A very opinion-splitting design indeed although it can be very handy when part of the crew do not agree with the other part of the crew regarding their destination: “Fine, Whatever! We’ll take our own hull and go somewhere we do like to go!! Goodbye!”
If some of the above now please would report in the Gulf of Mexico it would be very much appreciated, thank you.
Update (12-06-2010) :
Gizmodo also caught wind of these vessels and, rather inspirationaly, calls them “Pac-Man Ships”. Read their post here, with even more pictures of the Bottsand.
Update (28-06-2010) :
We all made a mistake here…..Oops!
The vessel in question, with which this whole post started actually turned out to be the Ecopemex, and not the Thor……call her the missing 4th sister!
Some pictures, in old fashioned rustic sepia.
Dunno source, via http://www.maritimesales.com
Dunno source, via http://www.maritimesales.com
Dunno source, via http://www.maritimesales.com
Dunno source, via http://www.maritimesales.com
Right: matter solved….back to business now: go clean oil!
“Where’s the tv remote? the port port, or the starboard port? the left wing? eh?”
That’s the bizarre-est thing I’ve seen since that research thing that completely upends itself when in use, but it’s brilliant! Yes, can we please have a fleet of those report for Gulf duty?
Oh, and Bart, you name was taken in vain on today’s Frogma post. Please come visit if you have a moment!
The ship In the first picture is actually the “Ecopemex” IMO No 8614209 Call sign XCEN built in 1987
you should start a new blog called “strangeships.” “kometa” would be another strange one. tot ziens . .
She is “Ecopemex I” and she has a sister which is Ecopemex II, built in 1987. Does anyone knows,what is the capacity to clean oily water of this ugly sisters?
VERY VERY Strange