Going back to work, south of the equator for a bit. Can’t really say more, as I don’t know what is fact and what is fiction and I don’t want to spread false info.
Buttttttttt… and I know you were making a joke with your previous post in the thread, but the fact of the matter is, yes, she’s getting her first Captain back again for the job.
Always good to see ANY laid up boat getting back to work. Hope it is true.
I assume you are referring to Captain Joe. For better or worse, he was Master of the Nathanial B Palmer for a number of years and brings a lot of experience from his time in the Antarctic.
so this has to be some MOTHER FUCKING no bid contract with our esteemed government! Leave it to Mister Gary to pull off another coup of unbridled corruption on a monumental scale…welcome to the US Maritime industry in the 21st century.
my loathing for this industry knows no bounds.
Any basis for that comment?
The Chouset was awarded the contract to build and then operate the Gould and the Palmer for the National Science Foundation and most likely tied their operation of those contracts to their initial bid. So I assume if another shipyard was to offer a contract to build those vessels the operation bid would be open to more players. We still don’t know why the vessel is headed down their but if its to fill it for the short term as the Gould or Palmer go for shipyard then it makes sense that it was a no bid contract. Aiviq is the only us flagged ice breaker right now and its most likely that no other player would be interested in flagging in a foreign vessel for the short term. But again this is speculation that it is short term fill in work if not your are 100% right this is not acceptable conduct from our government.
What in my comment led you to believe it’s going to work for for the US Government and NSF?
It’s not. Not even for the US of A.
It’s protected by HIPPA.
See my comment 1.Nov.:
so WTF then if it isn’t a US government job? certainly not some ferrin government! And why so bloody hush hush that nobody can say what the vessel is going to be doing in Antarctica? What on earth can the vessel be doing that requires such secrecy if it isn’t a government job? And why the AIVIQ anyway when there are plenty of other ice classed vessels which I am sure could be chartered for a whole lot less like a Russian?
If it isn’t some corrupt no bid contract with Uncle Sugar, I guess ole Missa Gawry got his cash suction hose into some billionaire intent on raising the ENDURANCE out of the Weddell Sea? Some person who simply doesn’t care how much he spends to chase his folly? Not that I am not interested in such an expedition but the ship’s hull was utterly crushed before it sank and all that could possibly raised is a whole lot of mangled wood and rigging.
oh well, let’s see if they succeed there others haven’t…
btw, how you likin them sexy yellow coveralls?
if this is what AIVIQ is going to be doing this season, it is a race because there is another expedition headed back to find the wreck next year
C-Captain, No secret of of your love for Noble. I do agree.
Why not a Furrin Gov., or a furring research organization?
The Aiviq has been paid for already, so low finance cost. Extra insurance premium, if any, for operation in Antarctic waters and fuel cost, is paid by Charterer.
Whether she will operate with full US crew, or even under US flag, is as “secret” as the rest of this story at the moment.
PS> For the long run in open water only the power required to maintain chartered speed will be used, so the high consumption with all main engines on full power is not relevant.
The Aviq was a purpose built vessel For sure the design was faulty from an engineering standpoint considering the territory but Shell accepted it. Hopefully improvements have been made since then. Glad she is going back to work and employing folks. Assuming the Aviq is still US flagged she probably doesn’t require more than a US Master and CE if working outside the USA one can’t blame the charterer for not hiring US mariners if they can avoid it. US mariners come with a lot of problems. Unlike mariners from other countries that provide health insurance for their citizens the charterer has to devote people to figure out the US private health insurance scheme, then there is the problem of social security and 401k administration. It is much easier to hire folks from other first world countries. The company pays the tax to the country on behalf of the employee and the country takes care of the payment for health care, pension etc.
Unless it has change in the last 50 years, only US Master is/was required on US flagged OSVs working outside US waters. Today I presume USCG in their capacity as Maritime Authority is demanding that officers carry national STCW CoCs and other crew has all relevant training per IMO requirements. (??)
PS> Unless for Bare Boat Charter, the Charterer hire a vessel with operational crew and management and is not involved with health insurance etc.
Lots of foreign countries dont tax seamen or dont tax them once they are out for a certain time.
Thats a huge discount to the wage bill yet the crew still earn the same
well I am pretty well convinced this is an expedition to find the ENDURANCE because the pieces fit. I was involved in a failed expedition to find Amelia Earhart’s plane in 2006 and our sponsor made us all enter into gag orders to not talk about it publicly or to name him or his organization at the time. (btw, it was Ted Waitt who founded Gateway) I really didn’t think with the death of Paul Allen any of these other tech billionaires cared to spend their money on anything other than to go to outer space so am a bit surprised here with this. Of course, those who do know can tell me if I am wrong in my hypothesis here but I believe I am right.
Finding the wreck won’t be easy and others have tried and failed because of the density and movement of the ice pack over where the wreck is. As far as I know you cannot DP in thick ice because the forces are simply too great but maybe with the bow into the direction of the flow and screws pushing, it will break going past the stem. Obviously, they would use an AUV for this so sitting right over the wreck would not be required but then recovering the vehicle will be difficult.
I would love to know what the charter rate is for the Big Blue Whale but certainly know it cannot be low at all even if Gary Chouest is not adding in a capital profit to it.
If offered the chance you’d take a job on such an expedition I am somewhat certain. You would enjoy the adventure.
I understood that Aiviq will accompany RSV Nuyina on it’s maiden voyage [if it finally makes it after numerous delays, or even take its place if required]. Having redundancy to Mawson and Macquarie seem to make sense from AUS’s perspective.
SA Agulhas II is chartered for the upcoming Endurance22 mission.
