Details of ships and boats

[ombugge]

I visited a large and sophisticated Dive Support Vessel (DSV) the "Skandi Singapore" at Sembawang Shipyard this last week.
Built at ST Marine, Singapore in 2011, but of Aker 06 design by STX OSV in Aalesund. Here is vessel specs: http://www.dof.no/Files/System/dof20..._Singapore.pdf

Although primarily a DSV, like most large offshore vessels these days she is also multi-purpose, but not to an extent where she becomes multi-usless.
Equipped with two work class ROVs and an AHC Offshore crane of 140 tonnes SWL and 2,500 m. of single wire main hook, she is also able to work in deep water, outside reach of the divers.

Here is first a few pictures taken from the web to show the vessel in full and at sea:




And at work:

[ombugge]

This is what she looks like externally while at Sembawang Shipyard, preparing for her next assignment offshore Congo:








Just to confirm her name and home port:

[ombugge]

The Bridge is very spacious and fully equipped for world wide operation as a DSV or any other task.

Fwrd. Controls:


Aft Controls:


Port wing Controls:


Stbd. wing Controls:


Chart Table:

Yes, they still carry some paper charts, although Electronic Charts are now the norm.

[ombugge]

DP Consols:


Sunken space for Position Surveyors to work without disturbing the Navigation Officers/ DP Operators:


Emergency Response center and GMDSS Consol:


CCTV Screen to view Working deck from aft positions:


Conference table on the bridge:


(Sorry, more later)

[ombugge]

OK, now we get up one level above the bridge, to the Heli-lounge, where passengers can wait in stress less comfort:


The safety instruction video, as supplied by individual Helicopter companies, is shown on this screen:


The helideck is of the pre-fabricated type, made from Aluminum with steel support structure:


The mast is no longer a single "stick", but a fairly elaborate structure. Here seen from the Helideck:


And here from aft:

[ombugge]

Top of Bridge (Monkey Island) contains numerous antennas, the communication domes and the search lights, among others:


Under the bridge wings on either side is a CCTV camera to look at what is going on over the sides:

This without having to leave the DP control or maneuver position.

Below the bridge is a half-deck which contains the Instrument room:


Externally at this level is the Muster Stations, with boxes containing the Life jackets and Immersion Suites:


Next level is a storage deck for fenders, dive gas and various equipment:


Including a Work Boat which is equipped for Air diving away from the mother ship:

[ombugge]

The vessel has an actively heave compensated (AHC) offshore crane of 140 t. SWL and able to work down to 2,500 m. water depth:


Top of the knuckle boom seen from upper deck:


This is a complex machine with a lot of hydraulic hoses all over the place:




Crane and deck house seen from aft deck:

[ombugge]

The Mezzanine Deck contains two Air diving spreads:


The FRC in a single point, heave compensated davit:


Two Taut wire position reference units, one on either side:


And the Hyperbaric Life Boat for Diver escape under pressure:

Here being prepared for launch test. (More on that later)

View of the Working Deck from the Upper deck:

No wood cladding and no high cargo rails on this type of vessels. This to facilitate constant changing of equipment on deck. No cargo.
The hand rails are removable to allow equipment to be over hanging the sides, if required.

[ombugge]

At the stern is raised structures on either side and a fixed stern gate to protect the working deck during following seas.
The structures on either sides contains lockers for chemicals, paint, lashing materials and the like:


Mooring winches are installed on top:


That completes the external of the vessel.

[ombugge]

This vessel has Diesel/Electric Propulsion, thus no Main Engines in the conventional sense. There are four main generators to supply power for the Thrusters and all other requirements on board, via a Power Management System.

The Main Generator room is quite spacious:


One Main Generator was stripped for major overhaul:


Propulsion is by two Azimuth Thrusters, driven by A/C Electric motors (3000 kWe each):


Emergency operation of the Thrusters can be done from the Thruster Room:


Every valve on board is remotely operated from the ECR or from the Bridge:

Hardly any manual valves, except the over board valve from the Oily Water Separator, which has to be pad locked against illegal or accidental opening.

Here is the OWS:

[ombugge]

Although the Skandi Singapore is primarily a Dive Support Vessel, she carries permanently installed two work class ROVs.
Here is the one on Stbd. side as seen through the open ROV Hangar door:


The other is permanently installed in the hangar on Port side, with LARS for easy launch and recovery:


Aside from remote control from the ROV Control Room, the LARS can also be operated manually from this panel in the hangar:

[ombugge]

There is a built-in 18-man Saturation System with 3 chambers + TUP and Hyperbaric Lifeboat. (Sorry, no pictures of the chambers available)
The Diving Bell is very large and sophisticated, capable of holding 3 divers and diving to 350 m. water depth.
Here is seen the upper part of the bell:


And here the rest:


The entire bell, weighting some 23 m.t., including the launch frame:


The launching frame sitting over the moon pool, ready to receive the bell:


The connection is controlled from the DCR, but can also be controlled manually from this panel:
But can also be controlled manually from this panel:

[ombugge]

The umbilical winch:


For safety, the bell is launched and recovered by a 3-wire system, each with it's own winch:


The wires are heave compensated for lanunch and recovery in fairly rough weather:


The winches are controlled from this panel in the Dive Control Room:


Dive Control Panel:


View of the bell in stowed position through the window in the DCR:

[ombugge]

The Hyperbaric Lifeboat test may be interesting for some to watch. This particular boat has capacity for 18 divers and 4 crew.
First phase was to test the davit launching system. This was done without people on board, but with water bags to simulate the weight of divers and crew

The boat being lowered:


No need to launch for this test:


Recovered:


End of weight test.

[ombugge]

Next test involve releasing the falls while the boat is just above water. (On-load release test).
The boat was lowered into the water without crew on board. The crew boarded form the FRC:


Entering through the top hatch:


The hatches secured. The boat is lifted just above water:


The hooks are released from inside the boat:


Moving away from the ships side:

[pilotdane]

Is it now common to practice or test the lifeboats without people on board? I recall some fatal accidents when practicing life boat drills and wonder if they are minimizing the time people spend riding up and down in the boats.

[ombugge]

This was an equipment test and re-certification exercise, not a normal drill, or a normal lifeboat for that matter.
Drills normally doesn't involve actually launching the lifeboats, or inflating the liferafts, only to muster and prepare the equipment.
But I believe the common practice now is to minimize the number of persons on board while lowering and recovering to minimize risk.