I got the impression that they parted the towing “buckle” (better know to us mariners as a shackle) well before the engine trouble. My impression is that they experienced the engine trouble well after picking up Kulluk on the emergency tow gear. It doesn’t sound to me like they ever parted the tow gear a second time. Of course this is all just a guess.
AIS does show the Disco still in Seward.
The AIS is showing 15 E now so they are catching a break but doesn’t look like it’s going to last.
COASTAL WATERS FORECAST FOR THE NORTHERN GULF OF ALASKA COAST UP TO 100 NM OUT INCLUDING KODIAK ISLAND AND COOK INLET. WIND FORECASTS REFLECT THE PREDOMINANT SPEED AND DIRECTION EXPECTED. SEA FORECASTS REPRESENT AN AVERAGE OF THE HIGHEST ONE-THIRD OF THE COMBINED WIND WAVE AND SWELL HEIGHT.
Synopsis…A WEATHER FRONT OVER THE NORTH GULF COAST WILL DISSIPATE SAT MORNING. A PACIFIC LOW WILL STRENGTHEN TO 954 MB 320 NM SOUTH OF KODIAK CITY SAT EVENING AND WEAKEN TO 961 MB 70 NM NORTHEAST OF CHIGNIK SUN MORNING BEFORE MOVING INLAND ACROSS SOUTHWEST ALASKA.
Today: S wind 35 kt diminishing to E 15 kt by noon then increasing to NE 50 kt in the late afternoon. Seas 20 ft. Rain.
Tonight: E wind 50 kt diminishing to 40 kt after midnight. Seas 18 ft. Rain.
Sun: S wind 45 kt. Seas building to 26 ft. Rain.
Sun Night: S wind 35 kt. Seas 22 ft.
Mon: E wind 45 kt. Seas 24 ft.
Tue: S wind 30 kt. Seas 25 ft.
Wed: SE wind 15 kt. Seas 13 ft.
The Associated Press
Update, 12:05 p.m.:
A Shell drill ship in the Gulf of Alaska has stopped drifting toward the Trinity Islands and company officials hope it will be moving toward safe harbor later on Saturday.
Repair crews have restarted two of the four engines on the Aiviq, a tow vessel, and the Kulluk, which has no propulsion system, was holding steady so a second tow line could be attached, said Shell spokesman Curtis Smith.
Smith says the second line would help stabilize the situation and then the two ships would begin moving the drill ship northeasterly toward Kodiak Island.
“We’ll be moving extremely slowly on purpose,” he said.
Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/28/2736714/engine-problems-hit-ship-towing.html#storylink=cpy
seems like the Shell Clown Circus is in an extended run! FUCKING IDIOTS!
[QUOTE=Sweat-n-Grease;92146]Doubtful it was bad fuel, looks more like a critical component(s) failed, parts were successfully delivered, repairs made.
It’s a GODDAMNED DP2 vessel…there are supposed to be no such thing as a SINGLE POINT FAILURE!
WHAT THE FUCK?
Must be from the trip north.
[QUOTE=c.captain;92154]It’s a GODDAMNED DP2 vessel…there are supposed to be no such thing as a SINGLE POINT FAILURE!
WHAT THE FUCK?[/QUOTE]
Please excuse my ignorance, but does this “no such thing as a single point failure” extend to the tug? Look, this line of work is way out of my maritime experiences but I do understand something, shit happens.
Interesting Tug, what in hell went wrong?
[QUOTE=Sweat-n-Grease;92160]Please excuse my ignorance, but does this “no such thing as a single point failure” extend to the tug? Look, this line of work is way out of my maritime experiences but I do understand something, shit happens.
Interesting Tug, what in hell went wrong?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tuggerdave/7364253300/[/QUOTE]
the entire propulsion plant should have 100% redundancy in everything critical. Engines, pumps, VFD’s…everything is supposed to be x2 for there should NEVER EVER be a black ship.
[QUOTE=chstevens31;92101]My brother is aboard Kulluk. The last post from him was about 5 hours ago. CG helicopters were on their way but had 2 no gos.
Haven’t heard anything since.[/QUOTE]
He just landed in Kodiak at CG station… 12 still aboard and heli is returning now to pick up 6 more…
[QUOTE=Sweat-n-Grease;92160]Please excuse my ignorance, but does this “no such thing as a single point failure” extend to the tug? Look, this line of work is way out of my maritime experiences but I do understand something, shit happens.
Interesting Tug, what in hell went wrong?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tuggerdave/7364253300/[/QUOTE]
Yes, shit happens, and shit especially happens in heavy weather when things are getting shook up. If they lost the tow in bad weather and had to maneuver unfavorably in the high seas and swell they might have taken a hard shaking. It’s a new ship, it might never have been “tested” in such a way.
Bad weather has a way of uncovering hidden flaws.
K.C.
[QUOTE=chstevens31;92162]He just landed in Kodiak at CG station… 12 still aboard and heli is returning now to pick up 6 more…[/QUOTE]
Does this mean the CG intends to evacuate all the crew?
Shell said it was considering evacuating non-essential personnel from the Kulluk conical drilling rig as a precaution, probably using Coast Guard helicopters Eighteen crew members are on board the Kulluk, and two dozen are on the Aiviq.
From Shell & Coast Guard working to rescue stranded drilling rig
[QUOTE=c.captain;92161]the entire propulsion plant should have 100% redundancy in everything critical. Engines, pumps, VFD’s…everything is supposed to be x2 for there should NEVER EVER be a black ship.[/QUOTE]
I know when to keep my mouth shut - As I posted, my maritime experiences were totally deep draft. I understand your post, Captain, but I have questions/comments which I’ll keep to myself.
[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;92167]From Shell & Coast Guard working to rescue stranded drilling rig[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the post, K C.
Good Lord, I was incorrect, “contaminated fuel,” WTF went wrong here? c.captain is correct with his rage.
There has to be FO Purifiers on board.
According to AIS, it looks like AIVIQ has made good about four miles to the south over the last four hours.
[QUOTE=tugsailor;92172]According to AIS, it looks like AIVIQ has made good about four miles to the south over the last four hours.[/QUOTE]
It also looks like the wind has shifted NE and is 30-35 kts.
This isthe current forecast.
Tonight: NE wind 50 kt becoming E by late evening. Seas 24 ft. Rain.
Sun: SE wind 45 kt. Seas 24 ft building to 30 ft in the afternoon. Rain.
I wonder if they got that second wire run and if not how big is that emergency wire?
K.C.
[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;92173]I wonder if they got that second wire run and if not how big is that emergency wire?[/QUOTE]
Indeed, how big are these wires and do they have any surge gear made up? Looks like they’ve got tonight and tomorrow AM to get that rig into some shelter before they get plastered out there and after tomorrow’s storm there is another right behind it!
According to AIS they are now making up to 3 knots to the south.
If the shackle failed and released the main tow wire. I hope that the rig was able to retrieve the towing bridles and pass them back to Aiviq so they could reconnect the main tow wire. I have no idea what the emergency towing gear might look like on a manned rig; hopefully, its a lot better than the typical emergency towing gear on a barge.
I’m wondering if they are just trying to work off from a lee shore, or if they are trying to get far enough south so that they can run around the Trinity Islands on NE and then SE winds and come up Shelikof Strait. Virtually all the tug and barge traffic goes through Shelikof Strait. The east side of Kodiak is no place to be this time of year, especially with the current wx outlook.
I don’t understand why the Guardian is standing off so far away.
Coast Guard update - http://gcaptain.com/coast-guard-crews-battling-fierce-storm-assisting-disabled-aiviq-and-kullu/
On scene right now, along with the Nanuq and Guardsman. Seas are 20-25ft expected to increase to 30ft later tonight. We have sustained winds of 45kts with gusts as high as 68kts. All personnel have been evacuated from the Kulluk via helo. Aiviq making way with Kulluk in tow towards open water.
it’s pretty shallow a LONG way south of kodiak i. i’d hate to be down there in that weather. no real protection from a s’ly until way up in deadman’s bay and pretty sketchy approach for something that size. maybe sneak up to uyak bay on the west side of kodiak or all the way back to castle bay on the ak peninsula…that means going past wide bay again, though