[QUOTE=Sweat-n-Grease;92288]What the fuck !!!
Hello - Anyone in authority reading this shit ![/QUOTE]
ABS Asia…different rules
[QUOTE=87cr250r;92333]There are reasons we don’t build ships in America anymore, we have forgotten how to do it. It seems Avondale was the last shipyard to produce a decent US flagged ship. It’s funny to see the Youtube post of the tug with its deck awash. How many vessels have purchased fuel in Alaska and not had complete catastrophic engine failure? Especially such a high profile vessel that has multiple fuel tanks, settling tanks, centrifuges, and day tanks… all of the things that exist to prevent such failures. But with that much water on deck and low vents water contamination could certainly be a problem. Now… the failures occurred right after a failure of the tow gear? I know of few people who speak poorly of Cat 3600 engines failing injectors during large load changes. A failure of the tow gear would certainly result in changes in load. The Aiviq has C280 engines which may be mechanical injectors? Cat redesignated their engine line-up and I do not know if the C280 is still available in a mechanical injection engine or of it is only common rail.[/QUOTE]
I thought they swapped the 3600 out with a MAK?
All the new build tugs I’ve worked in the last decade or so have had a single fuel vent via an overflow containment tank. The vent is inside an enclosed (ventilated) containment box on deck also housing the bunker connection etc, and located at a fairly sheltered spot on the deck. Usually aft of the house. I take it that’s not the Cajun style? Had it Happen to me on a mini utility bloat…crap gaskets, crap vents straight out of the bayou shipyard.
GODDAMMIT ALL TO HELL! I turned in early and missed one hell of a show last night.
My God, where does a man start with all of this disaster? I knew they weren’t going to be able to stay connected throughout that weather. No tow gear without some form of heavy chain surge gear could withstand those shock loadings! Getting tows reestablished now is going to be hell until things lay way down out there. They have today during the daylight until this afternoon before it all goes to shit all over again but there is no one on the rig now to take the messenger!
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I’m just imagining the process of slowing the things drift enough until it stops without breaking any “buckles,” that’s got to be a multi hour ordeal unto itself in that Wx…if they can get a line across. Factor that in with the time it takes to make tow if/when it even happens…a day? More? Them time to actually get anywhere off the lee shore.
Excuse my ignorance as I am not an “unlimited CM” anchor boat veteran, but what do these boats typically have for tension monitoring/control systems on their tow gear? Markey render-recover on roids?
Can’t see the CG using one of their own choppers to bring men back out either.
[QUOTE=z-drive;92347]I’m just imagining the process of slowing the things drift enough until it stops without breaking any “buckles,” that’s got to be a multi hour ordeal unto itself in that Wx…if they can get a line across. Factor that in with the time it takes to make tow if/when it even happens…a day? More? Them time to actually get anywhere off the lee shore.
Excuse my ignorance as I am not an “unlimited CM” anchor boat veteran, but what do these boats typically have for tension monitoring/control systems on their tow gear? Markey render-recover on roids?
Can’t see the CG using one of their own choppers to bring men back out either.[/QUOTE]
Whoever is master on the AIVIQ will get all his shiphandling skills tested today. If he can grapple a leg of the KULLUK’s bridle then they’d have hold of her again but that’s going to mean some close maneuvering in big seas. Does anyone know if the KULLUK’s tow bridle was made up of chain or wire pennant’s? Hope to God it is chain! I am also hoping that there is a second tow wire intact on the AIVIQ with its thimble.
When we towed it she had a few shots of 3 1/2" chain. There is no Orval hook on any of those Crowley tugs I would imagine that would be big enough to hook that chain.
today’s surface synopsis
and tonight’s
The AIS page shows wind barbs, I don’t know where they get the info from. Showing S’ly at less then 15 kts. But it’s not going to last. There must be a big swell out there.
400 AM AKST MON DEC 31 2012
Today: SE wind 30 kt becoming E 50 kt in the afternoon. Seas 15 ft building to 20 ft in the afternoon. Rain.
Tonight: SE wind 55 kt. Seas 30 ft. Rain.
Tue: S wind 50 kt. Seas 28 ft subsiding to 23 ft in the afternoon. Rain.
Tue Night: S wind 35 kt. Seas 18 ft.
Wed: SE wind 40 kt. Seas 18 ft.
Thu: S wind 25 kt. Seas 15 ft.
Fri: S wind 30 kt. Seas 13 ft.
Based on 1715 position yesterday:
Direction last 12 hrs is about 014 T speed about 1.8 kts
That might give them 20 more miles, about 10 hours.
Might be some current as well, don’t know about that.
K.C.
The buoy out there is not working, this isstation 46001which is175 miles SE of Kodiak
tSignificant Wave Height (WVHT): 14.4 feet
[TD]Swell Period (SwP):
13.8 sec
Let’s just pray that out of this ordeal comes no injury to people or damage to the beach or equipment. We have all been there, the GOA is a tough place to be right now, and for those of us who ever shot across this time of year knows timing is everything. I’ve towed across there many times and we use 3.5" chain for bridles and gurge gear, I’m praying that the Guardsman has some retrieval gear and an Orville hook to fit. In this situation, it’s very important to beable to reconnect to a proper towing bridle…not just any point they can. Sea conditions are too unforgiving to try and tightline tow her anywhere right now. I pray that somehow the towing gear can be retrieved…that is a key component to this rescue.
I’ve been watching the positions of all the vessels in Marinetraffic.com and see that they have gone pretty much steadily NNE’ly during the last couple of days but cannot seem to be able to show the tracks of them. Does the site have that ability to show position histories?
Regardless, the safety margin is not great if the rig is now drifting as you say K.C. They have got to get connected to the KULLUK again today and this time made up strong enough to hold over tonight. I didn’t fear the rig going aground before but see that as a definite possibility now. Those miles are going to disappear very quickly now today.
If you click on the vessel and then click show current track/history on the popup it usually will show 12-24 hours history. Speed/course periodically as well.
[QUOTE=c.captain;92362]I’ve been watching the positions of all the vessels in Marinetraffic.com and see that they have gone pretty much steadily NE’ly during the last couple of days but cannot seem to be able to show the tracks of them. Does the site have that ability to show position histories?
Regardless, the safety margin is not great if the rig is now drifting as you say K.C. They have got to get connected to the KULLUK again today and this time made up strong enough to hold over tonight. I didn’t fear the rig going aground before but see that as a definite possibility now. Those miles are going to disappear very quickly now today.[/QUOTE]
Type in the vessel name on the left side of the screen, you can see the track. I used a position up-thread from 1715 yesterday and plugged it into Waypoint for Windows. 20.4 miles in 11 hrs and 45 min, come out to 1.7 kt
I think that when wind speed doubles, drift speed doubles. More or less.
K.C
[QUOTE=z-drive;92363]If you click on the vessel and then click show current track/history on the popup it usually will show 12-24 hours history. Speed/course periodically as well.[/QUOTE]
found it…thanks Z!
[QUOTE=rshrew;92350]When we towed it she had a few shots of 3 1/2" chain. There is no Orval hook on any of those Crowley tugs I would imagine that would be big enough to hook that chain.[/QUOTE]
Sause Bros. has proven the value and effectiveness of the chain grabbing “Orville Hook” or “salvage hook” invented by, and named for, their tug captain Orville “Bud” Fuller. Every Sauce tug has had an Orville hook aboard for the last 30 years. They have been used with good success many times to recover breakaway barges. A few other West Coast tug companies have put Orville Hooks on some of their boats, and they have been used with good success. I’ve seen barges with 3-1/2" chain bridles, and I’ve seen Orville Hooks that would grab 3-1/2" chain. However, I’ve never seen an Orville Hook on the East Coast or in the Gulf.
I will be really shocked if ALERT and GUARDSMAN do not have suitable Orville Hooks.
How could anyone build a new $200 million state-of-the-art tug specifically for the purpose of towing an oil rig (all by itself) in Alaska, but fail to have an Orville hook aboard?
That said, the Alaska Daily News reports last night indicated that there are towlines (multiple) still attached to KULLUK, but not attached to the tugs. It sounds as if the towline failures (or winch failures) occurred at the tug ends of the tow wires.
If that is the case, it should be a much “simpler” (I hate to use that word given the weather) to grapple the tow wires being dragged astern of KULLUK, and that can be done without getting anyone aboard the rig. I hope they have some crew aboard that are good at making “Molly Hogans” in 3" wire.
It seems that the ALERT should still have all of its towing gear intact.
[QUOTE=tugsailor;92368]Sause Bros. has proven the value and effectiveness of the chain grabbing “Orville Hook” or “salvage hook” invented by, and named for, their tug captain Orville “Bud” Fuller. Every Sauce tug has had an Orville hook aboard for the last 30 years. They have been used with good success many times to recover breakaway barges. A few other West Coast tug companies have put Orville Hooks on some of their boats, and they have been used with good success. I’ve seen barges with 3-1/2" chain bridles, and I’ve seen Orville Hooks that would grab 3-1/2" chain. However, I’ve never seen an Orville Hook on the East Coast or in the Gulf.
I will be really shocked if ALERT and GUARDSMAN do not have suitable Orville Hooks.
How could anyone build a new $200 million state-of-the-art tug specifically for the purpose of towing an oil rig (all by itself) in Alaska, but fail to have an Orville hook aboard?
That said, the Alaska Daily News reports last night indicated that there are towlines (multiple) still attached to KULLUK, but not attached to the tugs. It sounds as if the towline failures (or winch failures) occurred at the tug ends of the tow wires.
If that is the case, it should be a much “simpler” (I hate to use that word given the weather) to grapple the tow wires being dragged astern of KULLUK, and that can be done without getting anyone aboard the rig. I hope they have some crew aboard that are good at making “Molly Hogans” in 3" wire.
It seems that the ALERT should still have all of its towing gear intact.[/QUOTE]
yes, something makes me think that this is all on the ALERT and GUARDSMAN to pull off now. The AIVIQ is just too big to maneuver up behind the KULLUK close enough to even drag the hook past. Someone tell me if Orville hooks can grab wire or are they only for grappling hold of chain?
Regarding wires still attached, there should be the original tow bridle hanging down with a busted “buckle” somethere but I doubt any wire but there would be the two busted emergency wires that the NANUQ and AIVIQ were using until midday yesterday but we all know now that those are no answer except to hopefully hold the damned thing until the main gear can be hopefully grappled.
[QUOTE=c.captain;92367]here’s their track so far in this saga
Yeasu Fucking Christo is RIGHT![/QUOTE]
That sudden change in track to the ENE (and more or less to windward) suggests pretty strongly to me that they have KULLUK under tow again. As I recall, the current tends to follow the shore NE on the flood and SW on the ebb on the East side of Kodiak.
Good Lord, the crew have to be exhausted.