MV Aiviq Breaks Down in Alaska While Towing Shell’s Arctic Drilling Rig

Maritime News Marine Incidents
61

[QUOTE=tradsailor;92192]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[/QUOTE]

I’d think to get into Alitak Bay would make the most sense since it is close and is a good shelter. Right now they’re getting some of the best weather they’re gonna get to get into somewhere where there is shelter from the seas.

This is the most current surface synopsis and looks like a window for them. 24 hours from now they won’t be able to do much other than to just keep the head into it and ride it out hoping the wires hold.

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This is where having seasoned west coast mariners with Alaska experience and local knowledge would be very helpful!

63

[QUOTE=USMM707;92196]This is where having seasoned west coast mariners with Alaska experience and local knowledge would be very helpful![/QUOTE]

So one might think but who are we to do that?

64

[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]
Fuel is a single point failure IF all of it on board came from the the same source
lets say they had very low fuel on board, refueled with tons of water then as they centrifuged it out they couldnt actually get enough fuel till all the water was out? just a guess

PS All DP systems have a single point of failure…

The change over switch, lose that and you have disconnected the bridge from the vessel

65

Very true!! Couldn’t imagine what it would be like making emergency tow to a rig like that in 20’+ … No thanks! Them boys are earning their paycheck on this one!

66

When the dust settles and accurate details come out about this incident there will be some valuable lessons for all of us to learn.

The crews aboard AIVIQ and the assist vessels, and the USCG are all doing an exceptional job under incredibly difficult circumstances.

Unfortunately, they are no longer showing up on AIS. I hope someone in the know will keep us apprised of their progress.

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[QUOTE=USMM707;92196]This is where having seasoned west coast mariners with Alaska experience and local knowledge would be very helpful![/QUOTE]
Fished this area, particularly the Trinitys. We used to call south of the two main islands, (Sitkinak and Tugidak - pronounced twogeedik), “no mans land” because if you were caught out there it was pure hell. No refuge and the pass between the two islands was not surveyed, had some loran lines to get thru the shoals and into the inner pass… that was as hairy as any place I’ve been, even in good weather.
Why Shell decided to move any equipment during this time of year is a real concern, the lows coming across from Siberia are constant, the seas are savage and the refuge is sparse. On the east side of Kodiak Island there are some large bays to tow for but it will only give shelter from the seas and not the wind.
If this there is a grounding and flooding the people on board should be evacuated then, but not now. USCG AIRSTATION KODIAK is capable, have the best equipment and pilots but have run into disaster trying to evacuate during high winds. There are many cases were crab fishermen have abandoned ship, then perished. Meanwhile the ship is beached, weather abates, rescue finds the galley stove on in a warm cabin.
Those men are safe while afloat and are needed as stated before and should be left aboard. In my opinion Shell needs to rethink their timing.

68

[QUOTE=tugsailor;92212]When the dust settles and accurate details come out about this incident there will be some valuable lessons for all of us to learn.

The crews aboard AIVIQ and the assist vessels, and the USCG are all doing an exceptional job under incredibly difficult circumstances [/QUOTE]

The C.G. Helo crews did well but the Cutter Alex Haley got a line in the prop.

In this photothe coasties are evidently paying the tow line by hand.

It’s been a while since I was on the back deck of a cutter but my recollection was that we did it differently.

We had threes sets of line. The first two sets of line were faked out on deck with each bight made fast by small stuff to a wooden beam. The beam was chained to deck fittings. When the vessel to be towed was ready to take the tow line the small stuff was cut with a hatchet one bight at a time which allowed the line to pay out as the two vessel slowly seperated.

After two sets of faked down line had been paid out the line passed through a towing bit. Then as the line took a strain the third set of line was paid out through the towing bit by surging the line just as you do when checking a line while mooring.

I never saw anyone attempt to pay out heavy towing hawser by hand as appears to be happening in the photo. I could be wrong as it’s only one photo and doesn’t show much.

The couple of time I worked the back deck a second class petty officer who we all loved was in charge, he was called by everyone El Duce as he had never advanced beyond second as far as I know. He knew a thing or two about towing.

K.C.

Edit:

The Alex Haley was able to establish a tandem tow of Aivig and Kulluk preventing further drift of the disabled vessels towards shoal water. The heavy seas, strong winds, and sheer mass of both Aiviq and Kulluk created enormous challenges for Alex Haley to establish and maintain the tow. At approximately 6:30 a.m. the crew of the Alex Haley reported that the towline had parted and become entangled in the ship’s port propeller

Looks like they were able to get a line across… tough work in those conditions.

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[QUOTE=powerabout;92198]Fuel is a single point failure IF all of it on board came from the the same source
lets say they had very low fuel on board, refueled with tons of water then as they centrifuged it out they couldnt actually get enough fuel till all the water was out? just a guess

PS All DP systems have a single point of failure…[/QUOTE]

When the dust settles, and it’s determined the fuel was contaminated, Shell (or its Vendor) has some serious explaining to do.
Being an old Chief Engineer I can hardly stand such incompetence (meaning supplying contaminated fuel).
One time, and fortunately only one time, I done my usual dip check on the vendor’s fuel and found water. I raised some Cain, let me post THAT.

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I wasn’t there, and I don’t know how it happened, but given the weather that they had to contend with, I’m willing to give the crew of the Alex Haley a pat on the the back in spite of getting the hawser in the wheel.

However, this incident does point out how poorly equipped even the best USCG cutters are. The cutters should all have long tow wires on a good tow winch and plenty of heavy chain surge gear (just like a real tug).

Why did the Alex Haley’s towing make up part? Where? My guess is that a soft line, or a perhaps an undersized wire pennant, simply chafed off in the AIVIQ’s bow chock. This is an age old problem. Its a lesson we have repeatedly failed to learn.

All ships should be designed, built, and properly equipped with a heavy chain towing pennant that is always ready for immediate use.

71

[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]
Right. Just think in detail how it must be in the engine room and on deck. You all know the feeling, getting tossed all over, grabbing anything for support, smelling diesel, bilge, bacon, losing appetite, sweaty, nauseous, clammy, overheating in the engine room, freezing outside, it is miserable for these guys.
Just to the northwest is a bay on the AK. Peninsula named Puale Bay, it is an Aleut name meaning “where the wind was born”. The coast pilot describes willowaws in excess of 100 knots as common here. It is a miserable situation for all these men. Hopefully there are some cadets out there learning the ropes.

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here’s this morning’s forecast for the area

Synopsis…A 952 MB LOW 175 NM S OF KODIAK MOVES TO BRISTOL BAY MIDDAY SUNDAY AT 959 MB…THEN WEAKENS AS IT TRACKS ALONG THE SOUTHWEST COAST THROUGH MON MORNING. ANOTHER PACIFIC LOW TRACKS TO 480 NM S OF KODIAK AT 964 MB MON MORNING…THEN MOVES TO 120 NM SE OF CHIGNIK AT 962 MB LATE MON NIGHT.

Today: SE wind 35 to 45 kt becoming S in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 55 kt. Rain. Seas 20 ft building to 26 ft.

Tonight: S wind 30 to 40 kt decreasing to 20 to 30 kt after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 45 kt. Scattered showers before midnight. Seas 21 ft subsiding to 15 ft.

Monday: SSE wind 20 to 30 kt becoming E 35 to 45 kt. Winds could gust as high as 55 kt. Scattered showers before noon, then rain after noon. Seas 12 to 14 ft.

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[QUOTE=powerabout;92198]Fuel is a single point failure IF all of it on board came from the the same source
lets say they had very low fuel on board, refueled with tons of water then as they centrifuged it out they couldnt actually get enough fuel till all the water was out? just a guess

PS All DP systems have a single point of failure…[/QUOTE]

Then there is MASSIVE human error at play here

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From Alaska Daily News

Crews tow Shell drill vessel to ride out storm at sea

Published: December 29, 2012 Updated 7 hours ago
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A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak conducts hoists of the first six of 18 crewmen from the mobile drilling unit Kulluk 80 miles southwest of Kodiak City Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012. The Coast Guard was prompted to rescue the crew of the Kulluk after there were porblems with the tow Friday and the weather conditions began to deteriorate.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Francis.

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Story Photos:
The tugs Aiviq and Nanuq tow the mobile drilling unit Kulluk. Crewmembers of the mobile drilling unit Kulluk.

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By CASEY GROVE — casey.grove@adn.com

Two powerful ships towed a round Shell drilling vessel through rough water south of Kodiak Island late Saturday and into the Gulf of Alaska with the hopes of weathering a storm in the open ocean before heading for a safe harbor.

The new course away from land for the tiny flotilla represented a change of plans from Friday, when officials hoped the vessels could reach protected waters by Saturday afternoon. The still-unresolved drama that began unfolding Thursday is just the latest in a series of mishaps for Royal Dutch Shell in its offshore drilling efforts in the Arctic this year.

In a series of failures that began Thursday, the 360-foot Aiviq, owned by Edison Chouest of Louisiana and under contract to Shell, briefly lost its towline with the $290 million, 266-foot-wide Kulluk, then suffered a complete shutdown of its four engines early Friday. Another Shell-contracted tugboat, the Guardsman, arrived about 2 p.m. Friday and connected to the Kulluk and Aiviq.

The Kulluck’s cone shape was designed for handling Arctic ice while anchored at a drilling site, but under tow in a fierce North Pacific storm, it was tossing and turning perilously. About 9 p.m. Friday, Shell contacted the Coast Guard and asked for help in removing the crew “due to safety concerns for the personnel on board in the rolling and pitching vessel in heavy seas,” the Coast Guard said.

The first efforts failed because of weather, but by Saturday afternoon two Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters had removed the Kulluk’s 18-person crew and flown them to Kodiak, Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer David Mosley said.

“It’s precautionary measure. They weren’t in any immediate danger,” Mosley said. “As this continued to unfold, they just wanted to mitigate any potential issues with that crew onboard.”

Coast Guard helicopters were also able to deliver a ton of engine parts and technicians to the Aiviq, and the ship’s crew had two of its four engines up and running by Saturday morning, Shell said.

What started as 20-foot seas and 40 mph wind built to 35-foot seas and gusts to more than 50 mph, the Coast Guard said.

The weather and the combined weight of the Kulluk and Aiviq were too much for the tugboat Guardsman, which was unable to stop the vessels from drifting. By 5:30 a.m. Saturday, its towline had also broken free, the Coast Guard said. Saturday morning, the Kulluk was about 27 miles from the Trinity Islands and drifting at a rate that would have had it hitting the islands in as little as 12 hours, Mosley told the Associated Press.

“We don’t want it to go aground,” he said. “When a vessel goes aground, it’s directly played upon by the waves hitting it and having it hit something solid.”

In what Shell spokesman Curtis Smith described as “cascading assets into the theater,” another Shell-contracted ship, the Nanuq, had been sent from Seward at the first sign of trouble. It arrived Saturday morning. The Aiviq soon had all four of its engines running, and with the Nanuq’s help, was towing the Kulluk farther out to sea to the southeast late Saturday, Smith said. The plan was to avoid more bad weather and the worst-case scenario that the vessels could again drift toward land, he said.

A third tugboat, the Alert, was en route Saturday from Prince William Sound, the Coast Guard said. The Alert first arrived in Valdez in 2000 as part of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.'s disaster response system. The Coast Guard said that of the vessels responding to the emergency, only the Aiviq and the Alert were capable of towing the Kulluk.

“We’re still looking at options for safe harbor, but we’re going to wait out some predicted bad weather before making a run to the north,” Smith said. "We feel like the situation has stabilized and the tow is secure, but it’s critical that we remain focused on ‘what if?’ "

New details of the earlier wrangling to get the Aiviq and Kulluk under control also emerged Saturday.

The Aiviq first ran into trouble Thursday while towing the Kulluk from Dutch Harbor to Everett, Wash., where it was to receive off-season maintenance, according to Shell. The vessels were about 50 miles south of Kodiak Island and east of the Trinity Islands, fighting the bucking seas, when a buckle on the towline connecting them broke, Smith said. The Aiviq’s crew attached an emergency towline to the Kulluk, but then the Aiviq’s four engines failed, likely fouled by bad fuel, Smith said.

Shell said it doesn’t know why the towline broke, how the Aiviq’s fuel was contaminated, and if the two problems were related.

“That’s something we’ll have to investigate once this incident is over,” Smith said.

The Alex Haley, a Coast Guard cutter on patrol in the Gulf, arrived to help and connected a towline to the stricken vessels early Friday, the Coast Guard said in a statement. At that point, the wind was blowing 40 mph, and the seas were 35 feet and building, the Coast Guard said.

“The heavy seas, strong winds, and sheer mass of both Aiviq and Kulluk created enormous challenges for Alex Haley to establish and maintain the tow,” the Coast Guard statement said. “At approximately 6:30 a.m. the crew of the Alex Haley reported that the towline had parted and become entangled in the ship’s port propeller.”

The cutter was ordered to return to Kodiak, and the Coast Guard launched two others: the Hickory, from Homer, and the Spar, from Kodiak, said Mosley, with the Coast Guard.

A unified command was assembled Friday, bringing together Shell, the Coast Guard, Edison Chouest, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Kodiak Borough.

Reach Casey Grove at casey.grove@adn.com or 257-4589.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/29/2737708/crews-tow-shell-drill-vessel-to.html#storylink=cpy

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[QUOTE=tugsailor;92231]I wasn’t there, and I don’t know how it happened, but given the weather that they had to contend with, I’m willing to give the crew of the Alex Haley a pat on the the back in spite of getting the hawser in the wheel.
[/QUOTE]

Agreed, I though they got the line in the wheel trying to hook up. If they were able to get a line over they did good. I have no idea what it takes to tow two vessel that heavy. Me and El Duce never towed anything heavier then a fishing trawler.

K.C.

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Another article found online:

Struggle for drill unit Kulluk still on, Aiviq regained power, Kodiak, Alaska
Saturday, December 29, 2012 - 8:49:00 PM - More articles in Accidents (0) posts Discuss 0 posts Printable View Printable View

Crews of all involved vessels, drill unit Kulluk and its three support vessels, Guardsman, Aiviq and Nanuq, and USCG cutter Alex Haley, continued to battle 20-30 foot seas and 30-40 knot winds near Kodiak, Alaska during Dec 29. Repairing Aiviq’s engines became the priority because Aiviq is the only vessel available on scene capable of towing Kulluk.
Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews from Air Station Kodiak delivered engine parts and technicians to the crew of the support vessel Aiviq, in 30 mph winds and 20-foot seas last night, so they could make repairs to the ships three damaged engines. These repairs have enabled Aiviq to hold position with Kulluk to keep both vessels from drifting closer to shoal waters near Kodiak. Additionally the Nanuq has established a towline to Kulluk and both Nanuq and Aiviq are working in tandem to keep Kulluk safely under control. Plans to evacuate non-essential personnel from Kulluk are being developed, however, the heavy seas are contributing to heavy rolling and pitching of the Kulluk making helicopter hoisting operations extremely dangerous.
At approximately 5 a.m. Saturday, a MH-60 helicopter crew successfully completed the first delivery of engine parts to the crew of the Aiviq who began making repairs.
At approximately 7 a.m., Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews from Air Station Kodiak completed the delivery of engine parts to the crew of the support vessel Aiviq, in 30 mph winds and 20-foot seas.
At approximately 9:30 a.m., the crew of the Aiviq was able to successfully make repairs to the ships damaged engine with the Coast Guard delivered parts and were able to keep the Kulluk from drifting closer to shoal waters.
U.S. Coast Guard District 17 Date: Dec. 29, 2012

First news:
Offshore vessel Aiviq towing drill unit in trouble off Kodiak Island
USCG News Release Dec. 28, 2012: Coast Guard Sector Anchorage personnel are coordinating a response with Royal Dutch Shell representatives after m/v Aiviq experienced multiple engine failures while towing the mobile drilling unit Kulluk approximately 50 miles south of Kodiak Island Dec 28. The crew of the Aiviq reported that they were able to restart one of the ships engines and is currently awaiting assistance from the crews of the response vessels Guardsman and the Nanuq, which departed Seward and are expected on-scene early Friday afternoon. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley is currently on scene and monitoring the situation. Weather on scene has been reported as 40 mph winds and 20-foot seas.

Maritime Bulletin Reference:
Offshore supply vessel Aiviq IMO 9579016, dwt 4129, built 2012, flag USA, manager EDISON CHOUEST OFFSHORE LLC.
Tug Guardsman IMO 7506003, 538 gt, length 45 meters, built 1976, flag USA.
Offshore tug and supply vessel Nanuq IMO 9382841, dwt 4579, built 2007, flag USA.
USCG ship Alex Haley Callsign:NZPO, length 86 meters.
See map and USCG photo from the scene.

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from SEATTLE TIMES

Originally published Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 7:25 PM

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Drifting Alaska oil rig evacuated, in tow

Calmer weather Saturday allowed the Coast Guard to finally evacuate the 18-member crew of a drifting Shell Alaska oil rig, which is now back under tow near Kodiak, Alaska.

By Craig Welch

Seattle Times environment reporter
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After raging seas and fierce winds settled down Saturday afternoon, the Coast Guard finally evacuated the crew of a traveling Shell Alaska oil rig that had started drifting near Kodiak, Alaska.

For the second straight day, the Coast Guard had battled to rescue 18 crew members of the drifting Kulluk oil rig after efforts to tow the rig and its broken-down tug had failed several times.

But by late Saturday, repeated deliveries of engine parts and technicians by Coast Guard chopper had helped bring the stalled tug’s engines back to life. And a dampening of what had been 20- to 30-foot waves and a drop in the 30-knot winds allowed teams to stabilize the rolling rig, evacuate the crew and bring it under tow.

“Now that the crew is all evacuated, we will accelerate the speed of the tow and increase the margin between the vessels and landfall,” said Shell Alaska spokesman Curtis Smith.

The Kulluk oil rig was headed south to Seattle on Thursday after its first drilling season in the U.S. Arctic. But a tow line between the rig and its 360-foot tug, the Aiviq, separated, leaving the Kulluk adrift. The tug was initially able to get a new tow line established but then lost power to all of its engines, leaving both vessels floating free as weather in the North Pacific worsened.

Shell sent out two more vessels, and the Coast Guard responded by sending the 282-foot Cutter Alex Haley to offer assistance. The Haley got both vessels under tow early Friday, but then the cutter reported that its line had separated, too. It tangled in one of the ship’s propellers, and the cutter was forced to return to port for repairs.

The Coast Guard launched two more cutters, the Hickory and the Spar, and sent up an HC-130 to monitor the situation. Jayhawk choppers began ferrying supplies to the crippled tug.

When Shell’s other vessels arrived, they, too, attempted a tow but also experienced failures.

“The weather on scene is testing the limits of our Coast Guard crews,” Coast Guard Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo in Juneau said in a statement late Saturday.

The biggest fear was that of the safety of the crew of the Kulluk, which was pitching in the roiling seas, making any attempt to hoist people into waiting helicopters dangerous.

Coast Guard officials also feared a grounding of the tug, the rig or any of the assisting vessels could spill fuel into the fragile marine waters off Kodiak.

But a drop in the winds and quieting of the seas changed everything Saturday.

“The weather laid down, so we had a safe window,” Smith said. “We used the opportunity to evacuate.”

Mechanics also got the Aiviq’s engines working again, and the calmer seas allowed the tug and a second Shell vessel to each get a tow line around the Kulluk. The two began pulling the rig farther from Kodiak.

“Given the events, we’re going to evaluate and recalibrate the tow assemblies on these vessels before we continue the journey to Seattle,” Smith said. “We’re in no rush.”

For good reason. The National Weather Service late Saturday called for another night of high winds and rough seas.

Craig Welch: 206-464-2093 or cwelch@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @craigawelch.

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I remember one time years ago in the GOMEX aboard a tug (running light, thankfully) we went black boat due to water in the fuel. In our case it was a faulty hatch cover on deck that leaked seawater into a fuel tank that was then used to fill both day tanks. It was an eerie feeling to be working via battery light in the engine room for hours, and work we did. No drains on day tanks so we opened a cap on the manifold and let it flow into the bilge until the chief felt good enough about what was coming out. Then bleed the injectors and crank up the generator. Such a feeling of relief I still remember it today.

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[QUOTE=ZDriver;92251]I remember one time years ago in the GOMEX aboard a tug (running light, thankfully) we went black boat due to water in the fuel. In our case it was a faulty hatch cover on deck that leaked seawater into a fuel tank that was then used to fill both day tanks. It was an eerie feeling to be working via battery light in the engine room for hours, and work we did. No drains on day tanks so we opened a cap on the manifold and let it flow into the bilge until the chief felt good enough about what was coming out. Then bleed the injectors and crank up the generator. Such a feeling of relief I still remember it today.[/QUOTE]

I should think, in addition to repairs to the hatch cover something needed to be done to the fuel tank. Don’t you?

80

Drains for the day tanks would have been nice.