World's OFFSHORE VESSELS

[pakarang]

There has been some development in the 32 years that separate these two vessels.

Certainly an amazing evolution has happened and the difference is quite an achievement in shipbuilding.

[ombugge]

Here is a few pics from Darwin and the Chinese Semisub "Nan Hai VI" (ex "Treasure Swan") in April, 2007.
Darwin was about to be hit by a late cyclone named "Monica". NH6 was in port preparing for a drilling campaign in the Timor Gap.
Not a very safe situation to be in so she had to be moved away from East Arm Wharf to the anchorage and secured.

Here is a sequence of the events:

AHTS Lady Audry getting ready to pull NH6 out from the wharf.


Assisted by AHTS Lady Gerda. Both vessels owned by Farstad and registered in Aalesund but operated out of Melbourne.


Fore some reason they fly a small Norwegian flag at half mast while the Australian flag of courtesy is much bigger and prominent. Why is that?
Well, all Aussies on board may explain that.


Picture taken from the second to last boat to town.
Nan Hai 6 at anchor in Darwin Harbour, ballasted down to survival draft and to be abandoned to fend for her self.
Monica is fast approaching and Darwin MAY take a direct hit, like in 1972.


Picture taken from the safety of my hotel room, showing NH6 as a small lonely "dot", awaiting Monica's fury. (There's no fury like a woman scorned)


Monica vented it's fury at the coast at Arnhem Land, packing 300 km/h wind at landfall, but luckily in a very thinly populated area. Still causing some damages, but no deaths. She flattened a settlement on the coast.


Here is the most "dramatic" pics I could get as she passed to the South of Darwin. (Not much wind at all)

It was rumored that she got attracted by somebody waving a big cigar soemewhere in the Kimberleys.

Trying to board, but still a long swell running. No need to take risks now.


Two weeks later. We are ready to depart, but have to wait for an arriving Gas Tanker to pass.


We're under way to the Laminaria Field in Timor Gap. Lady Audry on the towline. Uneventfully tow, but complicated anchor handling operation.

But that is another story.

[pilotdane]

I seem to be saying "thank you" a lot lately. All these working pictures are a great treat.

[pakarang]

So they are, certainly very interesting images indeed!

Find a lot of things to study in them all, and quite interesting for anyone slightly interested in shipping. A very big thank you for adding them for us to see.

[Sterkoder]

I start at work 8:00 AM in the morning. Today was a bueautiful morning in Kristiansund, and since I got up early, I drove down to the docks at around 7:00 AM. That payed off, because I got two new vessels in my album; "Far Serenade" (2008) and "Fugro Saltire" (2009).

First we start with "Far Saga" arriving at Vestbase at 6:50 AM




Then "Far Serenade" outside "Island Vanguard" and "Fugro Staltire" with stern toward us




"Far Serenade"


"Fugro Saltire"




"Esvagt Contender"

All photos: ©S. Ludvigsen

[pakarang]

Wonderful additions. Great idea of you to get up a bit before work and do some picture taking!

Shows commitment!

[Sterkoder]

Thanks...., yes, you could call it commitment (A commitment to my hobby of trying to get better in handling a camera).

I enjoy to park at the dock in the lower end of Dalegata (you know where), roll down the car window, or rather get out of the car...., listen to the silence of the wakening city.
The only sounds being seagulls and the distant engine sound of the very first roundtrip of the sundbåten.

Certainly a nice way to start a day

Then there are collegues getting out of bed at 7:45, to start working at 8:00. Now, that's a comletly different story....

[pilotdane]

Thank you for waking early to provide for my entertainment. As usual I am amazed at the ships you can see every day.

[ombugge]

I noticed that both Far Saga and Esvact Contender has oil residue on the bow and side.
Have they been involved with oilspill clean-up or something?

[Sterkoder]

I noticed that both Far Saga and Esvact Contender has oil residue on the bow and side.
Have they been involved with oilspill clean-up or something?

To be honest, I don't know what that on the side there is.

There are no reports of oilspill in the area, and out of my over 2000 shots of offshore vessels, I've only seen this on a handful.
The "dirt" on the side are only seen on vessels which has been out on the ocean for a very long period.
I mentioned a handful, maybe it's less. Right now I remember four.
Could it be some kind of algiegrowth....?
Because when looking at it on a zoomed picture, it's greenish...., like on "Ocean Tern" here a couple of years back:

[ombugge]

To be honest, I don't know what that on the side there is.
There are no reports of oilspill in the area, and out of my over 2000 shots of offshore vessels, I've only seen this on a handful.
The "dirt" on the side are only seen on vessels which has been out on the ocean for a very long period.
I mentioned a handful, maybe it's less. Right now I remember four.
Could it be some kind of algiegrowth....?
Because when looking at it on a zoomed picture, it's greenish...., like on "Ocean Tern" here a couple of years back:

Yes on the Ocean Tern it is quite obviously green algaes which has grown during months of slow steaming around some rig or platform. Same may be the case for Esvact Contender, since she is also a Standby boat.
But on the Far Sage it appears to be only above her normal waterline, which to me indicate oil floating on water as the cause. (Unless it is green)

On the Drillship Fredericksburg we had "green grass" growing on the deck after three months of drilling in the Natuna Sea during the NE Monsoon.

Here she is, minus the green gras.

[Sterkoder]

From several pictures taken of the "Skandi Captain" over the years, it seems like this spot on the Storkaia is her place when docked in Kristiansund.
Anyway, here she is at 07:00 AM yesterday morning

[ombugge]

Here is a few offshore pics picked at random, oldest first:

This is Argentine J/U "Rio Colorado 1" (now Perro Negro 5) drifting uncontrolled off Tierra del Fuego in 1982. Towline broke in a storm and we had to evacuate non-essential personnel. This pics was taken after it had calmed down somewhat. (At the worst of the storm I was too busy ensuring that the Brits knew we were not an Argentine warship trying to sneak out)


This is French J/U "Trident 9", then belonging to Forex Neptun, working off Congo in 1984 in nearly 400 ft. of water. She had the longest legs in the business at the time.


This is Sedco 252. She suffered a blow-out and fire in India in 1982 and lost her derrick and drill floor. She was patched up and towed to Singapore for repair, but ended up sitting like this for over 20 years. Eventually purchased by a Thai company, refurbished and used as a Mobile Offshore Production Unit in the Gulf of Thailand (Nang Nuang Field) for a short while. Now idle again. (Lots more pics)


The next three pics is of Pipelay Barge "Semac 1" preparing for tow to Australia a few years ago.


Isn't she a beauty?


Well, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, I presume.


Here is her "bigger sister", "Lay Barge 200". She was involved in the Langeled pipeline construction and numerous other North Sea projects since arriving on the scene as Viking Piper back in 1974.


Another Barge that should be well known in the North Sea, the SSCV "Saipem 7000" (formerly Micoperi 7000) 2 x 7,000 t. SWL cranes and able to lay pipe in up to 2500 m. water depth.
Here leaving the drydock at Keppel Verolme yard in Rotterdam after latest re-fit.


At the other end of the scale, here is J/U barge "Swiber #1". One of a kind, constructed to work in shallow water. Was used to drill in 1.5 m. water depth off Jambi, Sumatra, using an ordinary Land Rig. all other equipment on barges around. (Lots more pics available)


And finally, the Stone Dumping Vessel "Jan Sten" (very fitting name). If anybody has special interest in this vessel, I have a lots of pics taken in West Papua a couple of years ago.

[pilotdane]

Intrest in Jan Sten? What a silly question. Of course I am interested! Post the pictures.

[ombugge]

OK, here is some pictures taken in Sept. 2007, when Jan Steen was working in the Tengguh Gas Field, Bintuni Bay, West Papua, Indonesia. Stone dumping to cover pipelines in progress.

A barge loaded with stones have arrived from Sulawesi and been transferred to Jan Steen.


Fully loaded and heading back to the pipeline location.


Shut is lifted and ROV in stowed position while underway.


Side doors are closed and secured. No side dumping, this is precision spotting of stones directly on the pipeline and at a precise thickness.


Dynamic Position System for precise positioning above the pipeline.


Control panel for the ROV at the bottom of the shut.


Control Panel for the Conveyor to feed just the right amount of stones to the shut.

Sorry about the bad quality of the last three images, but they serve to illustrate.

Overview of the Fwrd. Control Panel in the Wheel house.


In position above the pipeline, ready to start dumping. The excavator amidships feed stones from the bays to the hopper at the stern. From there a conveyor bring the stones to the shut outboard on the stern. Bottom of the shut can be controlled, using the ROV. Camera and sonar are used to check position and coverage.

[Seagull]

How very interesting. I had not really thought about it being such a precision operation.

[ombugge]

Although not by popular demand, here is more details on the Swiber J/U #1. she was built specifically to operate in the "Surf Zone"
(That is the area between dry land and where there are enough water depth for normal offshore rigs and supply vessels to operate safely)

She has only done one operation so far; drilling a single well in 1.5 m. Water depth (LWS) near the mouth of Jambi River, Sumatra.

The barge has no fixed equipment or machinery on board (Bare Deck Unit) but can be used for just about anything.

Here she is during jacking test with full load (2,300 t. ballast) on board at the building yard in Batam, Indonesia.


She is equipped with a portable jacking system, consisting of 16 Stand Jacks, situated on top of the legs. (Four per leg) + Retrieval jacks at the Leg guides (2 per leg)
All controlled from one central position on deck by a Jack Technician from the manufacturer in Switzerland.


The legs with all the wire stands and protruding looks somewhat like a fountaine.


For access to top of legs there are 4 Gondolas. When lowering the barge there need to be 2 persons on top of each leg.


This is the portable Hydraulic Power Packs, one for each leg. They are driven by portable Generators. (All with loose hoses and cables etc.)


Here she has got an ordinary 1000 Hp Land Rig and a large 150 t. Crawler Crane placed on deck. The white shacks on the bow is offices, stores etc.


Here is the Drill Floor, placed above a slot at the stern of the barge.


And this is the Drilling Derrick (Mast), which could not be laid down for the tow, as would normally be done, hence the stay wires.


Finally on the way to her first drilling location, under tow.


In place at the Drilling Location. A support barge is moored to piles astern of the J/U and two Accommodation Barges at piles ahead. (We could not find a Accom. barge with space for 120 pers., hence two)

[ombugge]

A little bit from the operation off Jambi for some local colour:

Here is the Supply Base at Kuala Tengal with the Crew boat standing by.
(Actually only for crew change, all heavy equipment came by barges from a different base further up the river)


And the crew is ready and eager to go.


May look a little primitive, but Safety Rules are posted by the HSE department never the less.


This last one is from mooring operation for the barges (By passing chains around the piles)

[ehp]

How very interesting. I had not really thought about it being such a precision operation.

Ombugge- this is absolutely fascinating. How deep is the area where the pipeline is being covered?

[Sterkoder]

Nice report there, 'ombugge'...!

Drove out this afternoon here in Kristiansund to take some pictures, mainly of the hurtigruten "Nordkapp"....., but while waiting, I took a cople of "Far Saga" moored at Vestbase


And a detailshot for them detailfreaks out there


Here's a picture of the brand new "Viking Lady" first time in Kristiansund. Of cource I missed her when she docked in the harbour yesterday, so this picture below here was taken in the far end of the distance comfortable to my camera (and me)