This week, the world’s biggest and fastest firefighting 747 will have its official homecoming in the US. Global SuperTanker’s Spirit of John Muir will touch down in Colorado Springs on Thursday.
From a maritime perspective, the news is significant because the plane is capable of reaching and fighting rig and mid-ocean ship fires far more quickly than any other asset is currently able to, according to its owner. Additionally, the plane is the only very large air tanker certified by authorities in the US for oil spill dispersal giving it plenty of possibilities for the future of salvage operations.
The converted B747-400 freighter is capable of delivering single or multiple drops of nearly 20,000 gallons of water, fire retardant, or suppressant, any of which can be released at variable rates.
“The Spirit of John Muir differs from other firefighting planes not just because it is capable of variable rate drops,” said Jim Wheeler, president and CEO of Global SuperTanker, “as the world’s largest aerial firefighting asset, the John Muir can fly 600 miles per hour for long ranges at efficient altitudes. The plane can respond to fires on isolated drilling rigs or mid-ocean tanker blazes in a matter of hours.”
From the 747’s base in Colorado Springs, it can fly anywhere in the world in under 20 hours.
“Time is of the essence when combatting any fire, but heavy oil fires in particular create immense levels of air pollution when burning unchecked,” said Wheeler.
Global SuperTanker is owned by Cyterna Air, a portfolio company within a private equity fund managed by Alterna Capital Partners, a significant shipping investor.
