Narrator: A new breed of
super machines is evolving.
Bigger, faster, smarter, built to tackle
near impossible feats.
Among them: one of the world's
biggest super ships.
André: We broke a line.
The rig is blowing off the ship
Narrator: It's one of a growing
fleet, transporting billions
of dollars of oversized ocean
cargo around the planet.
If things will go wrong, someone could die.
Narrator: This one is hauling
a 40 story, 13,000 ton oil rig
halfway across the world,
from Singapore to Mexico.
Every hour counts.
Narrator: We'll blow this $50 million beast
apart to discover technological secrets that
overcome the impossible
as it crosses some of the
world's roughest oceans.
It needs the strength
to withstand the force
of a 50 foot wave, the power of
120 family cars and a series of
interconnected control systems
that allow this mighty vessel to
transport a 500 foot tall cargo
16,000 miles in just 42 days.
We'll reveal how this
extraordinary super ship
evolved to rise above all other machines.
The Gulf of Mexico, the US richest source of oil.
Oil rigs like these pump
3 million barrels of black
gold a day from more than
25,000 ft below the surface.
But these metal giants are a
long way from their birthplace.
Many were built on the other
side of the world in shipyards
like this one, in Keppel, Singapore.
Over 10,000 workers churn out more than
20 offshore oil rigs here every year.
It's the rig construction
capital of the world.
This jack up rig, called Laurus, is the
latest to roll off the production line.
It was built for Mexican
oil company Oro Negro.
The company may be a start up,
but Manuel has grand plans.
Wow! Look at the size of the legs.
We paid $220 million for this rig...
This rig is very important in our plans. I really
want to see what I paid for.
Narrator: With construction complete,
Manuel needs the rig transported more
than 16,000 miles across the
Indian and Atlantic Oceans...
to reach oil fields in the Gulf of
Mexico, where it can start drilling.
If we're late, it costs us a lot of money.
Every day, every hour counts.
Narrator: Delivering this 13,000 ton steel
Goliath calls for a new breed of machine:
the Treasure super ship,
an extraordinary vessel
that can haul huge loads
on top of its enormous deck.
700 feet long and 11 stories tall...
This is no ordinary ship.
Constructed from more than a
million parts, she's one of the
most complex ships ever built.
Her engine has the power
of 80 Hummers and can run
for 3 months without stopping.
Dozens of steel ribs make her
as rigid as an aircraft carrier.
43 steel tanks in her belly
can swallow 24 million gallons of water.
All of these features work together to make the
Treasure a champion of super heavy lifting.
First challenge: load the $220 million
rig onto the deck of this mega ship
for its journey.
It'll be no simple task, even for seasoned
loadmaster, André Korver.
It's always a good thing to have a good look at the rig
before you're gonna load it,
just to prevent last minute
just to prevent last minute surprises.
See the punch marks here?
That is the centre line.
There's of course a huge risk
of damage, but as well injury
to people if things go wrong.
Narrator: Weighing 13,000 tons and soaring
40 stories tall, lifting this rig onto
the ship is impossible.
You can't lift this rig with
a crane because it's far too
big, far too heavy to lift it with any crane.
Narrator: This super ship
has a unique feature that helps
André haul huge loads on board.
Hidden under the thick steel
skin of the deck...
are thousands of steel plates, welded
together to form special compartments
called ballast tanks.
The biggest tanks are 12 times
the size of a Mack truck.
Tough to bust, they can hold
9,000 tons of water and,
incredibly, allow the ship to
submerge, just like a submarine.
The tanks' design evolved
from a wooden contraption built
in 1775, called the USS Turtle.
Deployed during the American War
of Independence, she was the
world's first attack submarine.
Flooding a ballast tank at
the bottom pushed the Turtle
and her captain underwater.
The idea was to sneak up
to a British ship and attach an explosive.
He'd pump out the water and
resurface a safe distance away.
explosion
The Turtle was a work of genius, and supersized
versions of its ballast tanks are what allows
the Treasure super ship to load up.
Her tanks are 350,000 times bigger.
43 tanks fill with 24 million
gallons of water, causing the
deck of the ship to submerge
below the water line, allowing
big loads like the rig
to simply sail on board.
Chief Officer Alexander is in
charge of filling the ship's
ballast tanks with water.
3:00, we start ballasting.
And I'll be coming in tomorrow morning on the rig.
OK.
Narrator: It's a slow
and dangerous process.
Overfill the tanks, and the
tanks, and the ship could sink to its doom.
Somebody may be thinking that
this is a crazy vessel, but this
is an extraordinary ship.
We must submerge only for
20 meters maximum, not more.
I hope that all will be under control.
Narrator: 5 PM.
The crew works fast to gear up for loading.
The ship is due to set sail
in less than 24 hours.
The early morning, we need some cup of coffee.
I am in charge of the submerging
operations, sinking the vessel
under the water.
Narrator: 3 AM.
Alexander starts filling the tanks.
Beeping
The ship starts sucking in seawater
through 5 holes at the bottom of the hull.
More than 1,000 bathtubs worth of water a minute
rush into the vessel,
funnelled through pipes
3 feet wide.
The biggest ballast tanks can take on
1.8 million gallons of water,
pushing the vessel 3 stories
deeper into the sea.
A single leak in the ballast system, and the
entire ship could flood.
Alexander appoints night watchman Ivo to keep check
on the submerging deck.
This is a very dangerous
time in the operation because
the ship is submerging
and there are a lot of things
that may go wrong.
Narrator: The lives of the crew are in his hands.
It's 4 o'clock in the morning.
The rest of the crew, friends are sleeping now.
I need to make sure everything is safe.
Narrator: Over the next
4 hours, the Treasure must
submerge her decks 21 feet below water.
A single mistake now,
and this ship could sink
to its fate.
Narrator: As dawn approaches in Singapore,
the Treasure super ship continues to submerge,
ready to load the $220 million oil rig.
With her deck now 21 feet
underwater, the ship's
position is precarious.
The crew has their work cut out,
hauling the rig on board fast
so she can resurface.
Okeydokey!
(man speaking indistinctly over PA)
Narrator: The orange guide
posts show André where
he needs to position the rig
for it to balance perfectly on the Treasure's deck.
This is always a bit of an adrenaline moment.
I need to move the rig over the ship
to see if I go clear of the guide posts over there.
All clear.
(man over PA): OK.
Narrator: André must pull each winch line at
just the right speed,
or the rig could crash into the ship.
This type of rope, if they come under tension
and they break, they snap like a rubber band.
If you're standing in the part
of that, well, fatality.
You might get some extra tension on your line.
Just let me know if it's really getting too tight.
Narrator: The tension rises
as the rig nears the drop zone.
OK, we're nearly in position.
Narrator: One of the winch lines snaps,
sending the rig drifting dangerously out of control.
We broke a line, the rig
is blowing off the ship.
Starboard aft tug needs
to put his nose against
the rig and start pushing.
Narrator: Working together, the crew struggles
to force the oil rig into position.
OK. Easy, easy on the tug, please.
(man speaking indistinctly over PA): OK
The rig is in position.
Great job.
Thanks, everyone.
Narrator: With the rig in place,
the crew's next task is to raise
the ship back above the waterline.
We start deballasting the ship,
pumping the water out,
until the whole ship is out of the water.
Narrator: It's critical
that the crew keeps the ship
on an even keel as it lifts,
or the 13,000 ton rig could slide overboard.
OK, just stand by, please.
Stand by for deballasting.
Narrator: This super ship has
clever technology hidden inside
that helps keep it level as it level as it rises.
OK, Alexander, we can start deballasting.
Five stories under the deck,
she has 4 gigantic pumps that work
in unison to pump water out of the ballast tanks.
At their heart: vast rotor blades.
180 lbs of high strength steel spin
round at 1,200 times a minute,
speeding up the water and spitting it back out
into the ocean 240 gallons per second...
pushing the Treasure up to the surface at
1.2 inches a minute with the rig
sitting steady on its back.
Looks good.
So we can start securing the rig to the deck.
Narrator: Next challenge.
The ship faces a tough 16,000 mile trek through some
of the world's roughest oceans.
The ship's captain, Viktor Shevlyakov,
prepares for the epic round the world journey.
I think everybody likes to be a captain.
Narrator: It will be a baptism of fire.
This trip is my first trip as captain.
I am excited.
Narrator: To keep on schedule, the crew
must sail without stopping for 42 days.
Engine room, captain speaking.
Please prepare the engine.
bell ringing
Engine has to work all the trip
42 days and never stop.
Narrator: Behind these panels...
sits the beating heart of this ship.
Buried deep in the stern, a 2 stroke diesel engine
the size of a house.
Built from 640 tons of steel,
it generates the power of 80 Hummers.
It can run for 30,000 miles on
one tank of fuel without ever
shutting down.
At the core of its design is an ancient
invention from Southeast Asia a prehistoric
fire lighting device called a fire piston.
A wooden piston loaded with
tinder at its tip rammed down
a tight fitting cylinder.
Compressing the air in the
cylinder heats it up to 700 F
and ignites the tinder
to light a fire without
the need for a spark.
The Treasure's engine supersizes the fire piston.
In each of the 6 cylinders, the 2 ton pistons
compress a mixture of fuel and air
until it gets so hot that it explodes.
To make the engine even more
efficient, the hot exhaust
gases flow to the floor above,
where they spin a turbo charger
which pushes even more air
into the engine.
This allows the Treasure
to thrust through the oceans
without the need for pit stops.
Control to Bridge.
Engine ready.
Captain speaking.
Can we hand over a control from the engine room?
Narrator: After 6 hours of preparation,
Viktor fires up the engines.
A chain of systems feed its power to drive the ship's propeller.
The compressed air in the cylinder heats up to 2,700 degrees...
while the turbo charger spins at over 20,000 rpm.
The pistons produce 19,000 horsepower,
transferring it directly to the crankshaft.
This 140 ton steel monster runs for 50 feet through the ship.
It rotates the vessel's for 50 feet through the ship.
It rotates the vessel's 26 foot propeller.
Viktor summons the full force of the Treasure's engine.
His first challenge is to power her out through the harbour's narrow exit.
Over 200 of the world's biggest ships battle
for space in this crowded shipping channel.
Oh, Singapore channel is one
of the busiest place in the world.
We have to pay extremely
sharp attention to avoid
any possibility of collision
with another vessel.
Narrator: With tens of thousands of tons
of metal on the move, a collision would catastrophic.
And this is just the beginning of their 16,000 mile journey across
some of the world's most hazardous oceans.
Narrator: The Treasure super ship is heading out
of Singapore harbour with the 500 foot tall
oil rig perching on its deck.
This $220 million rig must reach
the Gulf of Mexico in 42 days' time.
That's when it's scheduled
to be hooked up, ready to pump
over a million dollars a day of
black gold to feed the energy
needs of Mexico and the US.
First obstacle: guide the
700 foot long ship through
the Singapore Straits.
This crowded waterway will
test the nerves of first time
captain Viktor Shevlyakov.
As you can see around, at least 20 vessels in the vicinity.
I don't want to hit anything.
Narrator: The Singapore Straits is a
narrow passage of islands and channels just 1.8 miles wide.
70,000 ships a year, carrying
a quarter of the world's cargo,
jostle position to squeeze
through the Straits.
Even the Treasure's advanced
radar can't guarantee safe
passage through this bottleneck.
Every 2 minutes, one of the world's biggest ships,
bearing thousands of tons of cargo,
squeezes through this narrow channel.
Bearing from you is 0 6 2.
Narrator: Staff in the harbour's control room
have their work cut out,
averting collisions.
[speaking foreign language]
It's down to operator Amin to guide the Treasure through the traffic.
Treasure, this is Jurong control.
Right now, I got one tanker bearing from 136.
OK, roger that.
Narrator: Viktor knows he must avoid the tanker up ahead.
But the 500 foot oil rig completely blocks his view.
We have big cargo and we
cannot see all targets straight ahead of us.
We have one more lookout on the forward bridge.
We call it Sea bridge.
We have continuous 24 hour watch.
Sea bridge, can you see the target at 5 cables?
Yes, I see this target.
Course 3 6 0.
Keep an eye on this target.
I am altering course to starboard.
Narrator: Skirting past
the tanker, the ship makes
it out into open ocean.
Traffic from the west is clear.
You can now switch onto channel 73.
And have a safe watch and have a nice trip.
Narrator: The weather is calm
now, but ahead lies a perilous 16,000 mile journey.
We are crossing Indian Ocean,
and after that, Atlantic Ocean, to Mexico.
Narrator: Viktor's route passes
through some of the world's roughest seas.
The 13,000 ton rig may be welded to the ship's
deck, but in a big storm,
nothing is certain.
The vessel, sometimes, loses
the cargo during the storm weather.
Yes, sometimes, it happens.
Narrator: If the rig shifts,
it could throw the vessel off balance.
Viktor's relying on pioneering technology hidden
inside this super ship to alert him to the slightest movement.
Concealed beneath its steel skin are the Treasure's
balance organs that can feel her every move.
They are tiny motion sensors.
At their heart, microscopic metal
combs with interlocking teeth.
When the ship makes a sudden
movement, the teeth push
together and release a signal.
The design of this extraordinary
invention is based on the
world's first earthquake
detector, made in 132 AD,
in ancient China: a 6 foot bronze pendulum,
suspended inside a bronze urn,
adorned with 8 dragon heads and
surrounded by 8 bronze toads.
Even imperceptible earthquake
waves would move the pendulum,
releasing bronze balls
from the dragon's jaws...
sounding an alarm and pointing to the location of the quake.
The Treasure swaps the Chinese pendulum for
microscopic sensors that detect even tiny movements
of ship and cargo.
They beam the data through 550 feet of high speed cables...
and feed it into Octopus, the ship's computer,
making Treasure almost self aware of
its surroundings and stability.
Octopus helps me to predict behaviour of the vessel.
It's very helpful assistance for me to do my job.
Narrator: Up ahead lies the Treasure's toughest test yet
one of the world's biggest ship graveyards.
Narrator: The Treasure super ship is a third of the way
into her 16,000 mile voyage
transporting this 40 story tall
oil rig to the Gulf of Mexico.
She's made it across the Indian Ocean. But ahead lies the toughest part of the
journey for crew and ship.
Now in the South Hemisphere
is winter, and next to South
Africa, we expect probably
bad weather.
Narrator: The Cape of Good Hope, off the coast of South Africa. It's one
of the deadliest stretches
of water in the world.
More than 500 ships have met
their fate here, wrecking on the
rocks that lie off the shore.
Captain Viktor is set to pass
right over this graveyard,
and a storm is closing in.
9,000 miles away in Mexico,
oil man Manuel is tracking
their progress. He's worried
about his precious cargo.
Really, my biggest fear is right now, where we are. We face
really, really severe weather.
There have been some incidents where the platform
has suffered damages or even that they have sunk.
It's very dangerous.
In the worst case, we even lose the cargo.
Narrator: With a storm approaching, captain Viktor
prepares his crew for any eventuality.
Lifeboat drills are imperative.
Alarm ringing
Now I am the captain, I feel a responsibility.
I have to know
and understand everything.
It doesn't matter if its
engine or deck department.
All under my responsibility.
Narrator: Both Manuel and Viktor were right to be concerned. On cue,
a weather warning.
As the Treasure ploughs towards the 20 foot waves,
the rig on her back sits just 10 feet above the waterline.
Waves like this would rock most ships,
but this is no ordinary ship.
To stop the Treasure buckling under the weight of her cargo,
her builders have given her extra strength.
They fitted her belly with a clever invention that dates back to ancient Egypt.
When a pharaoh needed to ship
two 350 ton obelisks along the
Nile, boat builders realized
that the simple reed rafts
of the time would sink with
the weight of stone.
So they designed a ship with a strong
wooden skeleton inside.
The skeleton made the vessel
light but exceptionally strong and buoyant.
It was the world's first heavy haul ship.
The Treasure takes the idea of the
ship's skeleton to the extreme.
Into her belly, the engineers squeezed 57 steel ribs.
Each rib weighs as much as a truck.
Together, with her ballast
tanks and a reinforced deck,
they give the vessel colossal
tanks and a reinforced deck, they give the vessel
colossal strength to stand up to the force of the ocean.
The South African cape is where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.
Deadly currents, fierce storms and huge waves make it
one of the most treacherous
stretches of water in the world.
15 foot waves pummel the ship's
deck for 10 long hours.
The sheer force of water
flexes the hull.
The rig takes a pounding.
The clouds finally break.
We were delayed 24 hours because of this storm.
Narrator: The weather has put them behind schedule.
And up ahead lies their toughest
challenge yet: off load the
13,000 ton oil rig... at night.
One slip could spell disaster.
Narrator: After a 16,000 mile journey through hell and
high water, the Treasure
super ship finally reaches
the Gulf of Mexico.
Now the crew faces the most challenging part
of their mission: off load the 13,000 ton
oil rig. This crucial operation
rests on the shoulders
of Zigmunds Korzenevskis.
We're preparing the crane. You will pick up a line with the crane?
Yeah.
I can't tell you I like stress,
but I like my job. And if you
not nervous in a critical
situation, there's something
wrong with you.
Narrator: The crew must now
submerge the ship all over
again. This time, it's more
difficult. They have an oil rig
the size of a high rise
balancing precariously
on the ship's deck.
Once the rig is afloat, there is no point of return.
There is no way back.
If things will go wrong, someone could die.
Narrator: Below deck, the crew prepares to flood the ballast tanks.
We are now in the middle of
the ship. And we have to check a
lot of things: check if there is
no oil leakage or water leakage,
so we have no problem.
Narrator: It's critical they
flood the tanks in the right
order. If one end of the ship
sinks faster than the other,
it will list, toppling the rig
and capsizing the vessel.
It's happened to other ships
before, and fear of such a
disaster makes every offload
tense for the team.
If there's too much
water coming into the tank,
maybe something happens with
the stability of the ship.
Narrator: The key to keeping this ship stable
as it submerges lies deep in her stern.
Inside the ship's control room,
a panel sends a signal down
to the engine room.
Here, hydraulic pumps kick in and push a wave of
pressure through the ship's hydraulic arteries.
This activates the crucial invention that controls the water flowing into the ship...
a butterfly valve, a mission critical
part with origins in ancient Rome.
The Romans built huge aqueducts
to feed their city with water.
The aqueducts channelled millions of gallons
of water into the houses, fountains
and baths of Rome everyday.
But this massive flood of water
had to be controlled.
So Roman engineers designed
a simple device that could stop
and start the flow at the turn
of a tap the butterfly valve.
The Treasure uses this idea to carefully control its ballasting.
She has 120 butterfly valves
dotted around the ship.
They fill the tanks in a precise
order, from the stern to the
bow, to make sure the ship can
go down without going under.
beeping
We start to fill up ballasting tank. It's very dangerous.
Narrator: There's another innovation built into
this ship that keeps it level as it sinks.
43 digital devices called ballast sensors.
They tell the ship's crew
exactly how much water it's
taking on. Each tank has one.
A tiny pump forces air through a tube down into the tank. By measuring how hard
it needs to push, the sensor
can calculate the weight
of water in the tank.
With 43 sensors working in
perfect harmony, the filling
of the tanks is precisely
controlled.
It takes 4 hours to submerge the ship. We are ready to discharge
Laurus. Crew is standing by.
Shortly, we will start
connection of tugboats.
My heart will start pumping as
soon as she will start moving.
Narrator: As the tugs are hooked up ready to tow the rig, the crew face their worst
nightmare.
Narrator: After a 16,000 mile trip, the crew
of the Treasure super ship is embarking on the
final stage of delivering the
$220 million oil rig Laurus
to the Gulf of Mexico.
Loadmaster Zigmunds Korzenevskis
must coordinate 3 tugboats
and 40 crew to lug the rig
off the ship.
Tugboats connected. We are ready to go.
I feel that the deck beneath my feet starts moving. Narrator: The tugs are fighting
strong winds, threatening
to push the rig off course.
Strong winds. We have 3 legs that are 150 meters tall.
That means a huge sailing area. So we
have a risk that both cargo
and vessel will be damaged.
Narrator: A collision between
the rig and the ship would be
disastrous for Zigmunds
and his crew.
John, more power, please.
Gentlemen, please stay away
from the line.
Narrator: The tugs pile
on the throttle.
John, more power.
Narrator: For the crew of this
super ship, it's the moment
it's the moment of truth.
The rig pulls free. John, Zigmunds. She is yours. We are clear.
I felt a lot of stress for a couple of minutes,
but at the end, she went out very smoothly.
Narrator: From here, tugs will
tow Laurus to a spot 7 miles
off the Mexican Gulf coast, and
install it ready for drilling.
Viktor, well done.
It was a pleasure.
And you, also well done.
Narrator: The crew pumps the ship's ballast tanks dry and she rises from the waves.
Zigmunds has one last task: call the boss. Good afternoon, Manuel.
It's Zigmunds.
Your rig is safely discharged and delivered without any scratches.
I'm really happy. The Laurus is here before schedule, and we're ready now
to start operations.
Narrator: Hidden beneath
the waters of the Mexican Gulf
are an estimated 100 billion
barrels of oil.
In just a month's time, the
Laurus oil rig will be deployed,
joining 4,000 other rigs and
platforms pumping over 3 million
barrels of black gold everyday.
Working together, these gigantic
nstallations account for 23% of
US oil production, and generate
a quarter of Mexico's national
revenue. It's the end of a long
job for the super ship's crew.
Finally. Finally, we are
going home. Girlfriend is
waiting already 4 months for me.
Narrator: For Viktor,
first mission accomplished.
It was good trip, good
voyage. I think I did my best
for the company and for me.
When we came to port, I told
my father. He was really happy.
He was the happiest man in the
world, I think, at this moment.
Narrator: Crossing 16,000 miles of
ocean, cutting through 20 foot waves
to deliver a 13,000 ton
metal monster on time...
the Treasure is an extraordinary
feat of engineering.
It's all thanks to a 640 ton engine
that runs non stop for 30,000 miles,
microscopic motion sensors
that monitor her every move,
butterfly valves that control
the flow of 24 million
gallons of water,
ballast tanks the size
of an 8 story building
and 57 bulkheads
for colossal strength.
It's these technological secrets that have helped
this super ship evolve to rise
above all other machines.
Subtitling: Epilogue Technical Services
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