LARGEST IN AIR AND SEA

The transportation of people and cargo has come a long way over the last 100 years and it is really amazing to see how the technology has advanced.  If more than 500 people have to be transported from one place to another we thought it is possible only by Sea.  With the advent of large aircraft like A 380 it is possible for 500 people to be transported in Air.

The vastness of the sky and sea is really mind boggling and hence even these so called large Ship and Aircraft looks very small when they are in operation.  A very slight change in the wind speed or pressure in the air causes turbulence in the Aircraft.  A slight change in the current in the sea causes huge impact on some of the largest vessels that are sailing in mid sea.

The quest for understanding the nature and to use the natural resources has been very interesting and has kept several thousands of scientists busy throughout the year for the last several decades.

Largest in Air:

A 380 is the largest passenger aircraft which was first put to commercial use by Singapore Airlines in October 2007.  It is an aircraft made by Airbus costing around 300 Million Euros.  It has a wide body with double deck and is powered by four engines.  It has a seating capacity of 525 passenger in the three class configuration (Economy, Business and First Class) and can take upto 853 passengers in all economy class configuration.  I have seen the aircraft in Dubai Airport and also seen the take off several times and it is really a stunning wonder in air.  This aircraft is being used by Emirates Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa and Qantas.

Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental is the longest passenger aircraft and is built by Boeing.  This aircraft is pitched directly in competition with A 380 and Boeing claims that this aircraft is fuel efficient and consumes 11 percent less fuel per passenger as compared to A 380.  747-8 Intercontinental can carry upto 467 passengers in a typical three class configuration in double deck.


Largest in Sea:

Emma Maersk is the largest Container Ship every built.  She along with the seven other sister ships are the largest container vessels currently in use.   She can transport goods across the pacific ocean in 5 days.  She is 397 meters (1,302 ft) long and reach maximum cruise speed of 31 knots.  She has the capacity to hold 11,000 containers of 20 foot equivalent units (TEU) or around 15,000 TEU depending on the definition.  This vessel can reach 4 days before a typical container ship on a China to California voyage.  She has been built in five sections and the sections were floated together and then welded.  The command bridge is higher than a ten storey building and has 11 cargo crane rigs that can operate simultaneously unloading the entire ship in less than 2 hours.  The crew is only 13 people!


MS Allure of the Seas is the largest passenger ship ever constructed.  She is 362 meters long and is just 50 millimeters longer than "Oasis of the Seas".  There are 16 passenger decks which can carry upto 5,400 passengers on double occupacny.  There are 2,384 crew members on board this vessel to maintain and run her as the largest vessel in Sea.  She has 2 deck dance hall, ice skating rink and a theatre with 1,380 seats.  The ship is built with 54,000 tonnes of steel only for the Hull.  She weighs approximately 100,000 tonnes and has a gross tonnage of 225,282.


The travel experience that we are getting both in Air and Sea has been improving a great deal over the years and the focus seems to be on giving the customers a far better experience on each occasion.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
24th November 2012