Malaccamax
{{Short description|Largest ships that can transit the Strait of Malacca}}
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{{Infobox ship image |Ship image = China’s Critical Sea Lines of Communication.png |Ship caption = Malaccamax is defined by the Strait of Malacca, Malaccamax tankers can carry oil from the Persian Gulf to China. }}{{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = | Ship type = | Ship tonnage = {{DWT|300,000}} | Ship displacement = | Ship length = {{convert|333|m|abbr=on|0}} | Ship beam = {{convert|60|m|abbr=on|0}} | Ship height = | Ship draught = | Ship draft = {{convert|20.5|m|abbr=on}} | Ship depth = | Ship decks = | Ship deck clearance = | Ship ramps = | Ship ice class = | Ship sail plan = | Ship power = | Ship propulsion = | Ship speed = | Ship capacity = | Ship crew = | Ship notes = }} |
Malaccamax is a naval architecture term for the largest tonnage of ship capable of fitting through the {{convert|25|m|ft|adj=mid|-deep}} Strait of Malacca. Bulk carriers and supertankers have been built to this tonnage, and the term is chosen for very large crude carriers (VLCC). They can transport oil from Arabia to China.{{cite press release |publisher= NKK Corporation |title= Malacca-max Oil Tanker Delivered |date= September 2002 |url= http://www.jfe-holdings.co.jp/en/release/nkk/42-7/art03.html |access-date= 2006-10-26 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070312014645/http://www.jfe-holdings.co.jp/en/release/nkk/42-7/art03.html |archive-date= 2007-03-12 |url-status= dead }} A typical Malaccamax tanker can have a maximum length of {{convert|333|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, beam of {{convert|60|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, draught of {{convert|20.5|m|ft|1|abbr=on}}, and tonnage of 300,000 DWT.{{cite web|last1=Fukai|first1=Takashi|last2=Kuma|first2=Yasumitsu|last3=Tabira|first3=Makoto|title=Development of Malaccamax Very Large Crude-oil Carriers|url=http://www.mhi.co.jp/technology/review/pdf/e473/e473025.pdf|website=Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review|accessdate=9 June 2014}}
Similar terms Panamax, Suezmax and Seawaymax are used for the largest ships capable of fitting through the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway, respectively. Aframax tankers are those with a deadweight tonnage of 80,000 to 120,000.
Problems
File:Ship_measurements_comparison.svg
Some Chinamax and most Capesize and very large crude carriers cannot pass this strait. Ships such as Suezmax and Neopanamax can pass. Any post-Malaccamax ship would need to use even longer alternate routes because traditional seaways such as the Sunda Strait, between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra would become too shallow for large ships. Other routes would therefore be required:[http://fieldmuseum.org/explore/pleistocene-sea-level-maps Pleistocene Sea Level Maps: Southeast Asia and Sundaland]
- Lombok Strait ({{cvt|250|m|ft}}), Dewakang Sill ({{cvt|680|m|ft}}{{cite web|title=Deep topographic barriers within the Indonesian seas|url=http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~agordon/publications/Gordon_Giulivi_deepbarriers_DSR03.PDF}}), Makassar Strait, then either east past Mindanao to the Philippine Sea or north through Sibutu Passage and Mindoro Strait
- Ombai Strait, Banda Sea, Lifamatola Strait ({{cvt|1940|m|ft}}{{cite journal|title=Current measurements in the Maluku Sea|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans|volume=106|pages=13953–13958|url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1029/2000JC000694/asset/jgrc8423.pdf;jsessionid=2C85E447985BD3073D950DFC9AB6A4E9.f04t01?v=1&t=jekugnzs&s=f76fecf915d7cb7e4bc7acf99ed6a9feb35109bf|doi=10.1029/2000JC000694|year=2001|last1=Luick|first1=John L.|last2=Cresswell|first2=George R.|issue=C7 |doi-access=|bibcode=2001JGR...10613953L |url-access=subscription}}) between the Sula Islands and Obi Islands, and Molucca Sea
- around Australia
Artificially excavated new routes might also be a possibility:
- deepening the Strait of Malacca, specifically at its minimum depth in the Singapore Strait,
- the proposed Kra Canal, which however would take much more excavation.
See also
{{Portal|Transport}}
- Maersk Triple E Class
- CMA CGM Marco Polo
- Cargo ship sizes Handymax, Panamax, Suezmax, Capesize
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://maritime-connector.com/wiki/ship-sizes/ Ship sizes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503010753/http://maritime-connector.com/wiki/ship-sizes/ |date=2021-05-03 }}
- [http://maritime-connector.com/wiki/malaccamax/ Malaccamax] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429005708/http://maritime-connector.com/wiki/malaccamax/ |date=2021-04-29 }}
{{Ship measurements}}