Built for a purpose
- Builder / location
- Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France
- Original role
- Ultra-large crude-oil transport
Why it was built
Batillus belonged to a four-vessel supertanker programme built at Saint-Nazaire during the 1970s. The yard’s history places Batillus, Bellamya, Pierre Guillaumat and Prairial in the 1976–1979 period. They represent a shipbuilding era in which oil transport drove demand for exceptionally large hulls.
Scale and specialisation
The ship’s length exceeded 400 metres. A crude carrier allocates much of its hull to tanks, piping and the structure needed to support liquid cargo. This produces a different visual profile from a cruise ship with extensive accommodation decks. Length, cargo-carrying capacity and enclosed volume should therefore be considered separately.
The end of the hull’s life
The photograph on this page, when displayed, documents Batillus during dismantling at Kaohsiung in 1986. It should not be mistaken for a portrait in working condition. Historical disposal accounts can cite arrival or sale in one year and the continuing dismantling in another; the caption preserves the photographer’s date.
Historical information reviewed 9 September 2026. Documented journeys are not live vessel positions.