The Harvey Condor, a 295-foot, 5,300 dwt DP2-equipped platform supply vessel was involved in a collision last night with the tug Michigan Service which was pushing an empty barge near Port Fourchon.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, there were no injuries or pollution as a result of the collision and an investigation into the incident is underway led by MSC Houma and the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Harvey Condor is owned by Harvey Gulf International and the Michigan Services is owned by Genesis Energy.
Genesis Energy refused to speak with us when contacted and we are awaiting comment from Harvey Gulf at this time.
The Genesis Tug and barge were moored to the pilings and were not underway. The Condor allided with the barge while she was moored. The gCaptain article implies that the tug and barge were underway. Those Genesis barges have been sitting at the pilings for months even before Hornbeck sold them. They rarely move. Looks like the Harvey boat got a little to close or lost steering/propulsion. That or he just really screwed the pooch.
The barge was moored to the pilings and wasn’t underway. Don’t know how it went down, whether the Condor had a problem or not, but the Condor hit the barge in an allision not a collision…
It seems like before you get off the dock…not too much traffic…pretty quiet. Press up…take in the lines…and then all hell breaks loose. Can’t get a word in on the radio to tell the 6 guys behind you somebody’s blocking the channel and you had to slam on the breaks. Cray cray!! Can’t even see the stern from a lot of these big boats when you are at the forward console. I always have an AB to aid my situational awareness when moving through Fourchon.
[QUOTE=Quimby;138721]It seems like before you get off the dock…not too much traffic…pretty quiet. Press up…take in the lines…and then all hell breaks loose. Can’t get a word in on the radio to tell the 6 guys behind you somebody’s blocking the channel and you had to slam on the breaks. Cray cray!! Can’t even see the stern from a lot of these big boats when you are at the forward console. I always have an AB to aid my situational awareness when moving through Fourchon.[/QUOTE]
Have you ever noticed the crowded times? It seems like the dispatcher makes a call just in time for chow and crew shift. I find it hard to believe all the boats finish their jobs at the same time and start to move. Busy times in fourchon are 0430-0600, 1030-1200 and 1600-1800. I have sit pressed up in C-port1 for 40 minutes before waiting on a spot to ease out then the dispatch called and wanted to know what was taking so long after 20 minutes, called again after 30 minutes. Finally had a boat kind enough to hold up and let me out. It gets ridicules at times.
I still see people running around Fourchon like their boat is on fire. People can be in such a rush that they don’t stop and think where they’re meeting. I’ve had more people meet me by the lift boat beside the ECO Dry Dock when boats are 3 wide on the pilings then was necessary. Hang out by Slip A where there’s plenty of space and you can duck into the slip if you need to. Same with Halliburton slip. Hang out in the bayou for a minute when a boat has already passed Stone on the way out. Again guys call saying hey Capt, can you hold up while I make my turn? NO! Let me slide out so you have as much room as possible in that little slip. I don’t care you’re missing your dancing with the stars!
You would think everyone gets paid by the trip not the day. I’ve said it before, and I don’t care if my shoes aren’t old enough to say it again, but patience and the experience to know when to hold up and wait. It’s only going to get worse.
I’ll wait that long till traffic clears up. If there is a swarm of boats inbound for BP, I’ll slow way down and let 'em get ahead of me as well. I can do without the added stress. And to think when I was working on the West coast it was such a thrill to have to make passing arrangements. Oh yay! Another ship!
Possibly a different working channel from Halliburton Slip north? It is getting so bad on channel 13 that it is nearly impossible to get a radio call out. Then, if you do get one out, the guy you called can’t answer you. It probably will come to VTS at some point. I’m not looking forward to that. Dispatcher: " head over to Expert Riser", VTS: " don’t move until we say go", Dispatcher: " Captain, we need you out of the slip!" and so on… I do think that most of the boat drivers in Fourchon do very well in staying safe and not bumping boats, considering the madness with all the big boats, little boats & crew boats squeezing through everywhere! It’s only going to get worse though. I think I’ll go buy some Lotto tickets.
[QUOTE=Lookout;138806]Only in Louisiana. Ya’all do us a favor and keep your brand of boating in Louisiana.[/QUOTE]
You mean the type where we don’t need VTS or a pilot to hold our hand as we move through heavy traffic?
Monday night through Thursday morning is when it’s at it’s worst. Everybody coming in for crew change coupled with the Oil Companies using that time to resupply the boat.
It’s the Assholes who like to get in the middle of the channel and sit there while boats move around the dock. Even better when they don’t have their radio on 13.
“Hey they need to shuffle around MNI and Haliburton. I’m just going to sit out here in the middle of the bayou at the mouth of Haliburton slip for an hour while the Stim Boats move around.” Seen that one a few times.