Oh, The Things You See At Sea!

The first of two sea days on our way to the Island of Madagascar.

Just after lunch, Mr. W glanced out our window and exclaimed "what an ODD ship!"  Odd, indeed -- we'd never seen anything like it before, and upon investigating further with the help of Google, we discovered this ship is a semi-submersible heavy transport vessel.

Here's a news article I found about it:  "The BOKA Vanguard is the world’s largest semi-submersible ship uniquely positioned to lift and transport extremely heavy cargoes in a dry and safe manner. The vessel has an impressive track record transporting large offshore oil and gas structures, but can also carry other vessels and act as a floating offshore dry dock facility. The BOKA Vanguard is unique in that it has an open and flat stern and bow-less deck measuring 275 meters by 70 meters allowing the vessel to lift and transport cargos longer and wider than these deck dimensions. By filling its ballast tanks, the ship deck is submerged in a controlled manner, allowing it to lift deep draught cargoes. This creates an alternative for dry docking allowing inspections and repairs to be safely and efficiently conducted at a location where traditional dry dock alternatives are not available."

Extra:  A picture of the Boka Vanguard lifting a Carnival cruise ship!  (Image taken from the internet).