‘Supertanker’ berths at Sullom Voe

A ‘SUPERTANKER’ has arrived at Sullom Voe Terminal to become one of the largest vessels seen in the harbour for several years.

The Front Endurance crude oil tanker, built in 2009, arrived on Saturday to uplift around two million barrels of Brent Crude oil from the jetties at the terminal.

At 333 metres long and with a beam of 60 metres, the vessel is in the ‘Very Large Crude Carrier’ (VLCC) class – among the largest ships in the world.

In comparison the two NorthLink passenger vessels are both 125 metres in length.

The Front Endurance was escorted into Sullom Voe harbour by the pilot and harbour tugs in a carefully planned operation on Saturday morning, and she is expected to leave on Tuesday morning.

Harbour master at Sullom Voe Harbour Greg Maitland said: “Our tug crews and pilots are fully trained to safely handle ships of this size in the harbour and it’s great to see vessels of this class calling at Sullom Voe again.”