World's Biggest Containership | Mega Transports | Free Documentary

[Music] the biggest the heaviest all right stuck at work the most and the most expensive goods on earth everything people can move on land on water and in the air record-breaking stunning global they are mega transports [Music] it is the biggest container ship in the world the OO CL Hong Kong she has the potential to change the transport business forever to drive many other transport ships out of the market and to conquer the seven seas no other ship moves as many containers as she does but only if our maiden voyage is a success the OO CL Hong Kong must reach her destination safely and on schedule a risky race against time she has never been tested on the high seas before this maiden voyage is a true mega transport and it will demand everything from the crew this is a very challenging thing to bring our new ship like this the route goes through the Suez Canal and through pirate territory Basia no I can't help you a mega transport on the high seas now [Music] kocha in South Korea it is the busiest shipyard on earth as big as a small city over 35,000 people work here they are building six container ships of the new premium class a value of nine hundred and fifty million u.s. dollars these new mega transporters are a massive challenge for engineers and shipbuilders more than 21,000 containers must fit perfectly into the cargo area any mistake would not get noticed until loading and could have catastrophic consequences dutching choice' veins the cargo area he only has this one chance once it seen it will no longer be possible to make improvements if the ships get bigger and bigger it means for me there are a million things more to check and get right especially with the container ship precision in all measurements is the most important thing during the construction our work really seals the fate of the ship Doge enjoy uses a special 3d scanner he will do everything possible to ensure no measurement errors are made for him it is a question of honor all the same his team checks every loading berth with a test container for me personally I'm incredibly proud to be working on this gigantic record-breaking vessel and I want to get it right it is really one-of-a-kind we put all the newest innovations in this included or her five sister ships are still being built but the Ono CL Hong Kong is ready for her maiden voyage she is about 400 meters long in comparison the Titanic was only 269 meters the biggest container ship in the world even outshines the Empire State Building it can load 20 1413 containers and transport more than 190 1000 deadweight tons that corresponds approximately to the weight of 336 a380 airplanes an inconceivable record 12 tiers of containers can be stacked below deck and 12 more on the upper deck one single man is responsible for the ship its crew and its cargo he must bring one of the biggest marine transporters of all times safely to its destination if he passes this test he will be considered one of the best captain's in the world lambtron fact was brave enough to take the job [Music] this is the biggest one I've been on last one that I was on this company was only thirteen thousand to use and this is like a big jump so actually this is a very stressful job although you don't see me running around or anything but actually there's a lot of things happening behind the engine must be running properly the cargo are in good condition you know we on schedule stuff like that so it is very stressful but you know you have to find time to relax yourself and one of my favorite thing is to come out here to just look around and just feel the breeze on your face and in your head one last deep breath then the OO CL Hong Kong will set off on her maiden voyage with him on board is his dear friend Lim Kim hak the chief officer his job is to make sure the crew functions well from the very beginning and he must do so on a ship that no one knows so you have to bring them up to speed so we have to keep on training and there's a lot of the first task for the officer and his team to raise the anchor on small ships this is no problem but on the biggest container ship in the world it is hard work Hong Kong forward how is the cable the anchors weight and its cable make sure that the ship does not drift or tip over there is one anchor on each side of the ship's bow Oh Roger for what chief mate please bring the anchor home everything on this ship is oversized bigger heavier and thus also more ponderous and slower than on other transport ships [Music] anchor and cabled together measure over 770 meters in total and weigh more than 440 tonnes Lincoln Hawk and his team must work safely above all but also as fast as possible that is the only way for the OO CL Hongkong to capture the top position in the shipping business that slow head the mega transporters maiden voyage lasts about 30 days the first destination Shanghai the largest port on earth after that comes the first ordeal on the high seas a voyage to Singapore there the OO CL Hong Kong will load its final cargo its route then takes it to the Suez Canal the narrow passage is a risky maneuver and a toughest test for ship and crew [Music] in Rotterdam the largest port in Europe the maiden voyage will come to an end [Music] yangshin the deepwater port of Shanghai and the mega transports first stop thirteen million containers are loaded here every year it is not only the biggest but also the busiest port on earth 30 ships can dock and load at the same time and precisely that will be a problem for the OO CL Hongkong two hours from the port captain Lam cheong fatt is tense no wonder it is his first berthing maneuver with his gigantic ship he has requested a local pilot the palette was approaching here the Cheniere be too weak to stop a second letter four meters above the water the pilot must bring his small boat alongside and mega transporter and jump onto a rope ladder at the right moment the pilot boat may be moving up and down the lot and this is quite risky for the pilot so for the pilot this is one of the most risky part of his job actually to get onto the ship indeed there have been many fatal accidents during bad weather and rough seas pilots are formed from the ladder drowned or being crushed between the ships thankfully the sea is quiet today and the pilot comes aboard and eventful II hello this is the first birth of this vessel right yes everyone at the port is already pretty excited as soon as the pilot is on board he becomes a member of the crew and has the same rank as the captain from now on he gives the orders with the aid of tugboats he maneuvers the mega transporter into the port number to push slowly the oo CL Hong Kong is a gigantic challenge for the pilot as well captain Lam cheong fatt must trust him blindly number one hurry up the captain knows the seven seas the pilot only this one port but he knows it inside out water depth sand banks and other dangers but he does not know the Oh Oh Ciel Hong Kong and the berthing manoeuvre is difficult for the berth is between two container ships the parking space is narrow very very narrow in theory the manoeuvre is quite simple three tugboats pushed a mega transporter slowly and carefully towards the key wall [Music] the greatest danger if they push too forcefully the OO CL Hongkong cannot stop she would hit the key wall and in the worst case could capsize captain Lam cheong fatt can only stand by and watch as the pilot walks the tightrope number one stop number two push slowly wind is strong number one star ten meters stop the ball stop bow speed is good don't go too fast keep going slowly before the wind is strong studies coming slowly slowly outside I watched epilator number two stop around here the birthing maneuver is complete normally reserved captain lam cheong fatt sounds relieved this is textbook slowly slowly yeah it's good first slowly Zulu safety first cover the mega transponder loads more than 4,000 containers here in Shanghai including highly sensitive Kongo like deep frozen goods and hazardous materials cranes raise the covers from the cargo cells now the OO CL Hong Kong's true size is revealed at the same time below-deck chief officer Lim Kim Hawk must make sure the loading goes smoothly for him it is less a job than a dream come true I have been at sea for 35 years so ever since I was small I live on an island in Malaysia so as a kid I always see ships cargo ships so always thought one day I might work on one of these ships and finally I'm here his first task to check the manifest and all available information about every individual container what is being loaded where is it being loaded and what does that mean for the OO CL Hongkong if cargo weight is distributed unevenly it could cause a catastrophe the mega transporter steel frame could Bend with over 21,000 containers and 200,000 tons of cargo weight Lim cannot commit one calculation error we have to make sure that everything is loaded as per the plan different colors are the pot of destruction we are going to the dance Felix to go to them and also Germany the workflow is quite lush I would say challenging so you need a lot need to be very focused Hong Kong taught me chief mate : yes the cargo plane is ready you're gonna come to the office Oh Lincoln Hawk must not only make sure that the containers are put in the right place but also that they are loaded in the correct order if the crane operators make mistakes here one side could become too heavy and in the worst case the ship could capsize to keep this from happening the OO CL Hong Kong has gigantic water tanks when empty she can take on after 65,000 tons of seawater at port this ballast can be pumped between the individual tanks to maintain balance as more cargo is loaded the OO CL Hong Kong pumps the water back into the sea this within limits then we are fine but the optimum objective is to have minimum ballast so that we just carry cargo and have optimum trim so that we can we can move at a very good speed don't move everything fine yes everything is fine how many cranes working seven frames markandjen okay loading plan for this port or the Reapers we have 14 Reapers okay not importing with us according to the manifest to enter machine these usually have quite a lot 6666 feature and show all they buzz okay okay okay okay don't give me a call yes sir okay sneakers laptops and televisions but also DG dangerous cargo like chemicals all this and much more is now on its way to Europe in only 30 days the mega transport is scheduled to arrive there the next leg of the voyage four days on the high seas on their way to Singapore crew and ship will encounter many dangers [Music] the cargo must get to Europe as quickly as possible the mega transport will only be profitable if the OO CL Hong Kong sticks to its schedule but their ship is about more than profitability and money more than engineering and technology this ship arouses emotions at least in chief officer Lim Kang hawk [Music] when you look at the ship for more distance you will be quite amazed how big the vessel is but when you're on board you get used to it have this affinity to shipping and so it went up to now I still find it even though it's challenging but uh I find it is rewarding career so the end of the day when you sign off you're quite a happy man in contrast to many other container ships the OO CL Hong Kong can load an additional upper tier of containers but it only works with exceptionally complex securing mechanisms this piece over here is a semi auto twistlock so it's used to secure the deck containers together we can stack twelve tiers on deck so four pieces of these are fitted on the four ends of the container and is heavy and we have a twenty four thousand on board so you can imagine the number of containers we can note on deck so this is loading automatically and when during this charge we have to manually open them so they can they can be discharged and this one over here turnbuckle these struts secure the containers to the lashing bridges and to one another every day the crew checks whether they are tight enough a storm or high waves could cause them to waver or even rip them off the ship the securing equipment and related technology costs over 1 million u.s. dollars checking and making sure that everything is it's at the right position and all containers that have been loaded is left down probably one part of the Congo requires special attention engineer engineers are calling twice a day electricians check the reefers they always go in pairs as no job may be done alone the danger is too great that a crew member might fall or go overboard in the worst case it would take hours before such an accident were noticed these reefers transport valuable food they function like a refrigerator they are fully insulated and have their own cooling unit which is connected to the ship's power supply the electricians must check every individual container and its temperature before visiting nurse how's the condition of all the rippers fully loaded the mega transporter consumes nearly nine tons of heavy fuel oil per hour fuel is thus by far the largest cost factor of this kind of intercontinental transport ultimately such a transport must be profitable for the shipping company thus the captain uses every possible trick to travel as economically as possible whether wind and more the idea is efficiency may be not necessary the shortest route but actually we also take advantage of currents to help us get better speed and of course the whole target is to conserve fuel and of course and cost at the same time in the engine room the engine block is nine stories high and has over 100,000 horsepower this is one of the biggest and most powerful diesel engines in the world Lee why Chi is chief engineer on board and must keep this tremendous power generator under control but he too is getting to know the OO CL Hong Kong for the first time to understand how the ship reacts he and his team collect all the data recording every revolution and temperature anything that could be of use in an emergency main Yankee is a new type and there's a good engine so far so good but of course we still have some minor problem tests by surface engineer they try to call that theta and then try to improve he shares his data with the engine builder who is always improving his products the goal to reduce fuel consumption and emissions like a ship expect or small I still try my best to work I'm happy because I'm also a free man the 90 for the OO CL Hong Kong which is Singapore a critical night a pirate area stands between the crew and safe harbor we take precautions as for the industry standard so this risky the crew goes through the emergency plan for such situations usually there are no weapons on board the men could only shoot at attackers with water cannons or lock themselves in remember if anything wrong just press they're allowed and come and then also don't leave any thought oh I just go maybe five minute I come back no he was not everyone senses what no-one says out loud the biggest container ship in the world on its maiden voyage is an attractive target for pirates the ransom for the captain is enticing [Music] with a ship this size it is actually unimaginable but pirates could indeed come on board with grappling hooks and take the crew hostage five hours in the danger zone [Music] nothing to see only pitch-black night we need to keep the lights condition as low as possible in order for us to get the best visibility outside so bright lights out so usually we get red lights which is actually good for the eyes in terms of night vision at night suddenly the second mate see something on the horizon a boat with no identifying marks not one but rather a whole fleet and it is on course for the OO CL Hong Kong what's I may be a border captain Lam cheong fatt sends a warning signal ever that said right it's dragging off no you can't rush a dinner okay everybody oh good morning okay [Music] hopefully it is fishermen and not pirates if so they would react to the signal and get out of the mega transporters way [Music] because he's flashing tonight [Music] yes thank you thank you indeed only a couple of fishing boats that had strained off-course [Music] two three zero two three zero unfortunately at sea we have rules of the roads but smaller boats and they they don't really follow this rules em and so when we see something that it's quite close to us we cannot wait until the take action the danger zone has been crossed and the OO CL Hong Kong has reached the port of Singapore unscathed it's the last port before the two-week non-stop journey to Europe time for the Mega transporter to refuel heavy oil for about 1 million euros and more containers are loaded onboard [Music] wonderful Augsburg over [Music] the special challenge some containers from China have reached their destination here in Singapore others are only beginning their journey to Europe that means loading and unloading at the same time mega transporters like the OO CL Hong Kong need ports that can keep pace with them ports that can load more and more containers faster and faster that's why Singapore has invested in a smartphone from this command center the containers can be moved by joystick many cranes are remote-controlled operators choose the crane they need at the moment that means no people no pathways no danger of injury camera and sensor technology makes loading precise and quick the OO CL Hong Kong is now fully loaded and on its way to Europe someone has sounded the alarm it was the chief officer LEM can hook wants to know how his new team works under pressure [Music] [Music] okay what about money talk within seconds the team must be ready for action for in an emergency a fire could reach hazmat containers holding acid gases and fuel this drill has only one goal the crew must be able to get around the new ship blindfolded above all in an extreme situation they must know the shortest pathways and overcome their fear of heights in an emergency to extinguish a fire the team must climb to a height of nearly 20 metres unsecured at full speed and in heavy wind as you can spread very fast so as you can see we can carry up to 12 tears on deck the biggest challenge pulling the heavy water houses after the vertiginous Heights [Music] behind atomic our will behind the chemical up top the team mounts the water cannons I've learned that everyone can borrow the OO CL Hong Kong can pump seawater up to a height of 36 meters the crew doesn't know what exactly is in the containers a real problem 500 fires which lasted for three days so it's quite quite tiring to fight this kind of fire so you need a proper equipment and you need a good team of people below the containers chief engineer Lee white she prepares for the emergency [Music] for seamen most ratin is fire ones fire no one can help if the Congo below-deck catches fire the team cannot extinguish it with water Lee white she would have to evacuate all the rooms and flood them with the contents of about 800 co2 canisters thus smothering the fire by doing so he would also paralyze the entire ship that's the last we saw once we put this in then maybe 24 hours the ship is not al salamu because no oxygen combustion engine no oxygen can remove so before we leave this this captain usually put a ship in the relative safe place and then we release because you're 24 hours maybe we don't have any power back on Jack well.all session or session the bill is over fire extinguish all fish and stand on Tendo after this successful drill the mega transporter resumes its course two routes lead to Europe the long way around Africa and the short passage through the Suez Canal this route saves a lot of time and fuel but the journey through the extremely narrow canal is risky especially for the biggest container ship in the world for about 150 years the Suez Canal has been amongst the most important waterways on earth but cargo ships continue to get longer and wider and have a deeper draft that means the canal must get bigger to above all its depth is crucial a new additional Canal section has been opened since 2015 nevertheless the passage is still one of the most difficult maneuvers in seafaring but whoever wants to remain competitive in the shipping business must confront the canal that includes Bo ocl Hong Kong [Music] no ocean giant is allowed here without an escort the Suez Canal Authority pilots every single cargo ship through the narrow passage an extreme responsibility rests on the shoulders of the pilots and their commander captain mohammed 4z abdul qadir [Music] through the eye of the needle for 193 kilometers in for Zee monitors the ship's passage through 15 checkpoints become how many vessels are expected today hard and ehm sorbet Markab 45 vessels 20 entering from the south in Suez and 25 vessels from port side with a total tonnage of 2 million and five hundred and twenty seven thousand tonnes shipping companies pay high fees for their ships passage varying according to their weight the Ono CL hong kong's passage costs around 1 million u.s. dollars the Suez Canal is the backbone of the Egyptian economy and we are trying everything we can to attract the largest number of vessels to pass through the channel an accident would be a catastrophe not only for the oo CL hong kong's maiden voyage but also for the canal and thus for Egypt's economy the passage simply has to be successful the process of navigating through the Suez Canal is a really sensitive and difficult process it's really hard and requires a lot of experience to guide the ships through especially container ships a big challenge for the pilots is climatic factors such as sandstorms they hinder the vision of the pilots so they can no longer see the sides of the canal canal a look below the water's surface shows that the canal is deep enough for mega transporters like the OO CL Hong Kong but only in the middle the pilot has only a few meters of wiggle room to the left and to the right the moment has come the greatest aldeen of the mega transporters maiden voyage is imminent and captain lam cheong fatt can do nothing his hands are tied when we are inside the canal this is actually one of the concern because the canal is narrow and shallow and there's very very little margin for error they have hopefully very good pilots there in point of fact the Suez Canal 300 pilots are among the best in the world before being allowed to operate a mega freighter a pilot must have trained for 15 years pilots trained their wits and agility using a simulator which portrays ships of every size and all conceivable weather conditions and scenarios course now but you know three three zero four zero zero four zero stop of twenty five or twenty a bamboo of a bell you'll allow me I need to think about 100,000 things at the same time wind current engine rudder everything I need to feel the whole atmosphere and become one with the ship I mean less acceptable on that in a real situation there is no second try while the others train chief pilot Farouk Rudin makes his way to the oo CL Hong Kong to guide it through the canal he grew up in Germany the captain needs perhaps four or five months on a ship to know how it reacts how it moves I have to know in one minute right away if I don't go to starboard what happens port how much rudder do I need how much power you feel the rules are brokers keeping machine in office he is seen how the canal and the ships that pass through it have grown [Music] farooq fooder suppresses all nervousness his more than 40 years of professional experience helped him keep cool in view of the mega freighter and the tasks before him [Music] there is no tension no you can't be tense otherwise you have no control of a ship you always have to have strong nerves you'll need them now on the OO CL Hong Kong oo CL stands for Orient overseas container line founded in Hong Kong in 1947 today this shipping company is one of the biggest in the world the ship's name is thus no coincidence the company intends to write history with it [Music] Farooq Luda comes onboard just in time he literally has everything in hand will he manage to write a new chapter in the history of the trade route between East Asia and Europe from this point forward he is in command the passage lasts about 11 hours on average 49 ships traverse the canal every day grouped into convoys the pilots have to coordinate speed and the distance between ships perfectly otherwise there could be fatal collisions the OO CL Hong Kong is the biggest ship that is ever tried to pass through the canal the outcome of one of the biggest sea transports of all time will be decided here in the Suez Canal captain lambtron fat can only stand by and watch this ship is much bigger than the other ship so usually in my heart I silently pray everyone in the control room is holding their breath too finally the biggest container ship in the world leaves the narrow canal the Mediterranean is in sight chief pilot Farooq Fuda has once again demonstrated that experience is golden at over 70 years old he has set a new record and brought the biggest container ship in the world through the canal [Music] I've done a good job if the ship arrives safely and uneventful it feels good makes me happy position the OO CL Hong Kong sets calls for rotterdam it passes through the Mediterranean and the Straits of Gibraltar 21,000 kilometers halfway around the world she reaches her destination almost perfectly on schedule hundreds of spectators show up to watch the majestic finale of her successful maiden voyage they want to witness a true mega transport it is perhaps one of those proverbial moments one can tell one's grandchildren about I've gone right how can it even move with so many containers on deck how does it stay afloat and when I heard that he will come to the port of rotterdam I just had to come to see it with my own eyes [Music] this maiden voyage demanded everything of the crew proud but visibly exhausted chief officer Lynn King hop gives the signal to birth [Music] about 200,000 tons of consumer goods from Asia have reached their destination in Europe [Music] captain lamb trunk fat has been at sea since 1983 this maiden voyage was the greatest challenge of his career he has met the challenge [Music] I think I did a good job you know I mean this is a big ship we carry many many containers you have to also thank the team that we have on the ship as well yeah I couldn't think of anything else I'll be doing I mean for the past I'm pretty proud about it captain lamb chunk fat will command the Oh Oh Ciel Hong Kong for another six months along with his friend the chief officer the Oh Oh Ciel Hong Kong sister ships will also be in regular service between Europe and East Asia the most important trade route in the world in the past present and future [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary

Views: 8,011,419

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, free documentaries, full documentaries, mega transport, mega transports, epic transport, heavy transport, most epic transport

Id: Q7Espb0afMw

Length: 47min 58sec (2878 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 21 2020