The largest vessel to ever grace the Humber has been welcomed.
Maran Lupus, a 333m long oil tanker, moored at Immingham Oil Terminal this week. The crude carrier, sailing under the Greek flag, arrived on Monday morning, and is wider than the length of many vessels using the estuary, with a breadth of 60m.
She narrowly broke a record that has stood for almost 20 years, eclipsing the 332m by 58m MV Olympic Legacy, that made the same call in September 2003.
To put the immense size into context, end-to-end the Maran Lupus would comfortably see off three Grimsby Dock Towers - the iconic building at the entrance to the first port on the Humber - with the Marine Control Centre and then some metres to spare.
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Five tugs were tasked by estuary operator Svitzer to help her onto the mooring, with marine pilots Ian Cousins and Jason Melles-Sawyers on board the arrival.
Svitzer’s port manager for the Humber, Philip Bailey, said: “Svitzer is delighted to have assisted the largest vessel into the River Humber, Maran Lupas, onto the Immingham Oil Terminal’s number one berth today. Having allocated five harbour tugs to this operation, with combined crew experience in excess of 300 years and bollard pull of 335 tonnes - under the direction of ABP’s river pilots - the vessel was in safe hands and the berthing executed with absolute professionalism.
“A huge thanks to all our crews and other parties involved, a great job!”
She arrived in the UK from Wilhelmshaven in Germany, having completed what was an eight day voyage, having initially been anticipated on Saturday.
The 14-year-old vessel has a carrying capacity of 318,080 tonnes. Her cargo will be refined at Prax Lindsey Oil Refinery at North Killingholme, where high quality road, aviation and heating fuels will be produced.
It remains to be seen if it will become a regular call, with the refinery revitalised under new ownership. Prax declined to comment, due to the specific operational sensitivity of the details in a fiercely competitive global trading market.
Since the takeover by Prax from Total in March 2021, the new owner has invested in its own marine capabilities, with two vessels added to transfer finished product between the refinery and European terminals, albeit at a fraction of the size of Maran Lupus, at 68m and 123m.
ABP Humber director Simon Bird said: “We have made history bringing the largest vessel the Humber has ever seen.
“It is testament to the tremendous skill of everyone in ABP’s marine department as well as the fantastic facilities we have in the Humber ports that we can support vessels of this kind which play a vital role in supporting the national infrastructure.”
While Tetney Monobuoy - a ship-to-shore reception pipeline and transfer facility serving the South Bank refining complex - has welcomed larger vessels, it sits in the outer approaches of the estuary, with tankers not making a physical port call.
Maran Lupus departed shortly after midnight on Wednesday, March 1, destined for Cape Town, South Africa.
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