Concrete double-hulled tank ship

Abstract

A double-hulled tanker of not less than of not less than about 2,000 metric tons deadweight in size which is suitable for the transportation of liquid hydrocarbons and meeting the requirements for the United States Pollution Act of 1990 and similar international regulations, said tanker comprising an inner hull and an outer hull separated by a void, said inner and outer hulls being constructed of high strength, light weight, reinforced and prestressed concrete.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention is directed to the field of double-hulled tank vessels for over-water transport of liquid hydrocarbons, particularly, petroleum and petroleum products. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Ships having concrete hulls were being built as early as the late nineteenth century, and cargo ships having concrete hulls were built and used during World War I and World War II when steel was in short supply. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,297,143; 1,313,592; 1,314,069; and 1,377,153. Two major disadvantages of concrete hulled ships which have limited their utility are the weight and the thickness of the hull when compared to other materials. The greater thickness of the hull necessary for a ship fabricated of concrete translates into a larger “footprint” in the water when compared to a conventional steel hulled ship of comparable cargo volume. Consequently, concrete hulled ships in the past have had significantly greater wavemaking resistance...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010] In addition to the inner and outer hulls of the vessel, internal structural elements, such as bulkh

Problems solved by technology

Two major disadvantages of concrete hulled ships which have limited their utility are the weight and the thickness of the hull when compared to other materials.

The greater weight of the hull arising from a ship fabricated of concrete made each ship sink d

Images