AN enormous floating hull is making its way from South Korea to the choppy waters of the North Sea.
The hull of the Bonga - a 300-metre long floating production, storage and offloading vessel which is the height of a 12-storey building - has already entered the English Channel and is expected in the region in the next few weeks.
It will be towed up the River Tyne to the AMEC shipyard, where work on its topside will be carried out.
The journey from South Korea has taken almost four months at an average speed of about five knots - little more than walking pace.
The vessel has been commissioned by the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company.
It will be capable of processing 225,000 barrels of oil a day when it begins production in 2004.
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