On the way from Italy to Burgas, Bulgaria; the crane vessel Saipem 7000 is passing through the Strait of Istanbul at the moment.
Entered the Strait on 07:00 this morning, Saipem 7000 expected to stay in the Strait for 8 hours after which the giant ship will be in the waters of Black Sea.
Saipem 7000 is towed by two big tugs: Maersk Tracer and Maersk Transporter. 4 tugs from Turkish Coastal Safety Administration are also escorting the ship: Kurtarma 1, Kurtarma 6, Kurtarma 8 and Kurtarma 9.
There are currently two suspension bridges at the Strait of Istanbul that limit the maximum air draft of passing vessels; 54 and 64 meters respectively from South to North. The Saipem 7000 will take extra care while passing under these bridges by balancing the air draft by increasing the water draft.
Saipem 7000 is the world's second largest crane vessel, after the Thialf. The crane radius of the Saipem 7000 grants a lifting capability of 14,000 tonnes at 42 meters while the Thialf can lift 14,200 tonnes at 31.2 meters.SAIPEM 7000 in front of Uskudar, at the very beginning of Bosporus Passage (Photo: By Serhan Güngör for SeaNews)
Video shows the Saipem 7000 passing through the Canakkale Strait 2 days ago:
Entered the Strait on 07:00 this morning, Saipem 7000 expected to stay in the Strait for 8 hours after which the giant ship will be in the waters of Black Sea.
Saipem 7000 is towed by two big tugs: Maersk Tracer and Maersk Transporter. 4 tugs from Turkish Coastal Safety Administration are also escorting the ship: Kurtarma 1, Kurtarma 6, Kurtarma 8 and Kurtarma 9.
There are currently two suspension bridges at the Strait of Istanbul that limit the maximum air draft of passing vessels; 54 and 64 meters respectively from South to North. The Saipem 7000 will take extra care while passing under these bridges by balancing the air draft by increasing the water draft.
Saipem 7000 is the world's second largest crane vessel, after the Thialf. The crane radius of the Saipem 7000 grants a lifting capability of 14,000 tonnes at 42 meters while the Thialf can lift 14,200 tonnes at 31.2 meters.SAIPEM 7000 in front of Uskudar, at the very beginning of Bosporus Passage (Photo: By Serhan Güngör for SeaNews)
Video shows the Saipem 7000 passing through the Canakkale Strait 2 days ago: