Marine Log

OCTOBER 23, 2012 – BMT Nigel Gee Ltd. reports that the first 26 m XSS offshore wind farm support vessel for Turbine Transfers has been launched at the Sepers B.V shipyard in Holland.

BMT Nigel Gee says its XSS (Extreme Semi-SWATH) designs offers significant improvements in motion levels over conventional platforms.

The XSS is on target for delivery to Turbine Transfers later this year in time to demonstrate its capabilities in the rougher autumn and winter weather. Its success will enable improved availability throughout the year enabling O&M operations when they are most needed.

Work has now started on the second XSS for Turbine Transfers with a target delivery date of 2013.

Ed Dudson, Technical Director of BMT Nigel Gee, commented: "It's great to see the XSS in the water and the vessel is testament to the hard work of Sepers, BMT Nigel Gee and Turbine Transfers."

SEPTEMBER 25, 2012 — Fort Lauderdale, Fla., based Resolve Salvage & Fire reports first 600 tons of steel from the bow section of the Rena wreck off Tauranga, New Zealand. This comes after six weeks of intensive operations in often challenging conditions.

Resolve has been removing the wreck piece by piece using helicopters and a transport barge at a safe distance from the reef. Due to the precarious position of the wreck's bow on the Astrolabe Reef, and the nationwide concern in New Zealand over the potential for additional damage to the reef during salvage operations, Resolve's methodology using helicopters was chosen from a number of other proposals.

Resolve's Rena Salvage Master Frank Leckey said, "We now have our team of divers from the U.S. and our RMG 280 crane barge from Singapore for the underwater phase of wreck removal, now that the seas are expected to be calmer with the seasonal change. The crane barge can access the bow from deep water, far enough away to avoid the reef but close enough to lift the cut sections from the wreck onto a barge. The crane can remove much larger pieces than the helicopters–up to 30 tons, so we have helicopter, crane and underwater dive operations all underway simultaneously."

Strong winds and high seas up to six meters had interrupted the salvage operation on more than one occasion. According to Leckey, when seas are three meters or higher, the salvors must suspend operations to ensure the safety of the team. Leckey said, "The wreck lies at a 34-degree angle. Combine that with significant movement when the wind or seas pick up and you have a dangerous situation. We have a full time health and safety officer monitoring all aspects of the operation."

OCTOBER 25, 2012 — Seattle headquartered Harley Marine Services has placed an order with Morgan City, La., headquartered shipbuilder Conrad Industries for the construction of four 297 ft, 30,000 barrel sister-class double hull petroleum barges. Construction on the first barge began in the Spring of 2012 and all four will be completed by the end of the year.

The barges were designed by Conrad Industries with input from Harley Marine's management team to ensure internal and regulatory performance requirements were not only met but exceeded. Each barge will be built with the most technically and environmentally advanced equipment available to meet the specific needs of Harley Marine's customers and expanding business markets.

Each barge has a molded beam of 54 feet and a molded depth of 12 feet. The 30,000 barrel barges are outfitted with six cargo compartments as well as an environmentally friendly vapor recovery and return system. Onboard machinery includes two Byron Jackson cargo pumps and two Cummins 6CTA8, 270 horsepower engines. The four barges will also be equipped with Bergan Guard high level and overfill alarm systems with magnetic tank level gauges.

Harley Marine Services will name three of the four barges after 14 year old triplets living with cystic fibrosis, an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of roughly 30,000 children and adults living in the United States. The first three will be named Jared Joseph, Nicholas Ray, and Allison Jane to commemorate these three young children living with this devastating disease. The last will be named after a young girl, Maci Bryan who is just ten years old, also living with cystic fibrosis. Harley Marine says it is very proud and honored to name these barges after such young fighters and survivors of cystic fibrosis, and that it will continue "Cruisin' For a Cure" until it can proudly name a barge "Cure Found."

Harley Marine Services operates more than 40 tank barges on the U.S. East, Gulf and West Coasts and has been adding new tonnage aggressively. One of its newer tank barges is the 2009-built, 31,500-barrel-capacity Lily Blair, shown above.

FEBRUARY 10, 2013—Boston Harbor Cruises, Boston, MA, is the only bidder to operate a high-speed ferry service between Salem, MA, to Boston for the 2013 season, according to local reports.

The Salem News says that Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC), which operated the service during 2012, was the only company to respond to the Request for Proposals from the City of Salem. Bids were expected to be opened on February 7. The RFP was issued on January 21. The city proposes a one-year contract, with four additional one-year options.

Allison Nolan, General Manager of Boston Harbor Cruises, is quoted by The Salem News as saying that the ferry carried 43,046 riders during the 212 season and that BHC hopes to increase that to 80,000 in 2013.

The winner of the bid would operate the 149-passenger, 92 ft catamaran ferry Nathaniel Bowditch, which can reach speeds of 33 knots. The ferry would run from May 23 to October 31, seven days per week on a limited schedule in commuter, sightseeing and tourist service. The ferry was built in 1994.

The ferry is named for a native son of Salem born in 1773, Nathaniel Bowditch who was a brilliant mathematician that had a profound impact on modern maritime navigation. He published The New American Practical Navigator in 1802. The book is still published today by the U.S. Government’s Defense Mapping Agency Hydrographic Topographic Center as the American Practical Navigator. The book is often referred to simply as the “Bowditch.”