Largest ship of its kind was visible waiting off Cornwall [Images]

by Stephen Hewitt | Published 24 June 2019

Ship with a flat body like a slab, with towers rising near each corner, in the sea. A magpie sits on a bush in the foreground
12 June 2019: The Boka Vanguard, the largest semi-submersible heavy transport ship in the world, seen in Mount's Bay from the cliffs of Cornwall. Ship operator name “Boskalis” is visible on the ship's towers.

On 20 June 2019 the largest semi-submersible cargo ship in the world, the BOKA Vanguard, left the vicinity of Mount's Bay in Cornwall where she had been visible from the coast on many previous days.

By then over a month had passed since the ship was first seen in the area. Her presence had been the subject of news reports, including one from the BBC and one from the Daily Mail, both dated 13 May 2019.

The ship had an unusual and asymmetric appearance, like a low flat plank with towers near each of its four corners. One of the towers was bigger than the others and the opposite corner at the same end of the ship appeared to have more than one tower. The appearance attracted local interest and speculation.

One local man commented that the towers on the ship gave the impression of moving their positions, adding that he thought the effect was probably caused by the ship shifting round and changing his viewing angle.

A woman out for a walk on the cliff path in sight of the ship told me the “word on the street” about why the ship was off Cornwall.

On 18 June 2019 the communications department of the dutch ship operator Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. told Clarion: “The BOKA Vanguard finished a transport recently and is awaiting a confirmation for a next assignment likely in the Gulf of Mexico.”

In June 2019 corporate videos linked from a Boskalis website showed the BOKA Vanguard in action, illustrating the motivation for the ship's unusual appearance. Being semi-submersible means having the capability to sink the deck below the sea, leaving only the upper part of each tower above water. A cargo - such as another ship or part of an oil rig - can then be floated over the deck and the ship raised again, seating the cargo on deck.

Sea with a distant ship with a flat body like a plank and vertical towers. A house on a headland in the foreground
15 June 2019: The Boka Vanguard, seen from Rinsey Head, Cornwall (See Map)
Sea with a ship with a low flat body supporting vertical towers.
15 June 2019: The Boka Vanguard lying off Cornwall in Mount's Bay, seen from the cliff tops near Rinsey. The stern and starboard side are towards the camera.
Close-up of a ship with a flat body like a slab, with towers near each corner, in the sea.
15 June 2019: The Boka Vanguard, the largest semi-submersible cargo ship in the world, seen in Mount's Bay from the cliffs of Cornwall, near Rinsey.
Ship on the sea with a visible wake, haze
20 June 2019: The Boka Vanguard leaving the Mount's Bay area of Cornwall around 1:40pm local time, seen from the cliffs. Website marinetraffic.com showed her destination as Le Havre, France.

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