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Contact
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The news
Offshore
Shipbrokers said that March was 'a poor month', with rates low although they
did start to rise towards the end of the month - a situation felt in both
ERRV and OSV sectors. Part of this problem was the movement of vessels and,
as predicted, the seemingly endless continuation of newbuildings which
appear on the market, many without offers or committments to work.
In the OSV sector, things were much the same as for March although
April was, according to OSL, being 'anticipated warmly'. We'll see! Northern
Mariner returned from
West
Africa
for charter to Petersens (after drydocking) for a year's work. Other
migrating vessels are the Oil Onyx - heading on spec for the
Far
East
,
Aldoma Med bound and North Crusader on with
Enterprise
off
Brazil
.
Heading towards the Northsea was the Skandi Beta..
Saipem
took Pacific Warlock, Pacific Blade and Pacific Banner plus two of
the Edda fleet, variously reported as Edda Freya / Frende / Frigg
plus Normand Carrier and Normand Clipper / Flipper. Sources
have yet to identify exactly which ships. Interestingly, the communication
also stated that the support was for the pipe barge Castoro 6 working
the Ramco Seven Heads project off
Ireland
before working on projects in both Danish and
UK
sectors. As the Saipem charter for pipe laying was due to start on April 1st
maybe there was a touch of the April Fool in the communication I received!
Ocean
Commander
and Northern Mariner have both been fixed long term by Petersens.
Havila
Surf
was fixed with Subsea 7 whilst Highland Fortress was on for Fugro-UDI
In the ERRV sector, rates for vessels shifted from £3500 to around £5000
level for spot but this still meant work was hard to find for some. BUE
appeared to be the only operator with available tonnage for long term work
whilst North Star were looking to charter in tonnage to work on their
contracts in
Ireland
.
On the company front, Statoil transferred Navion ASA over to Norsk
Teekay AS, a subsidiary of Teekay Shipping Corp. Statoil, meanwhile, were
looking for four large vessels to complete pipe haul work although four
other companies (Petersons, Venture, Petro-Canada and Talisman) were also on
the hunt.
Farstad also took over all equity interests in Seven Sisters III AS,
owned by Ulstein Verft. This interesting arrangement has resulted in Farstad
getting another P105 series PSV which was under construction at Ulstein
Verft, with vessel delivery around
the
the 12th December 2003
.
Farstad also has an option with Ulstein for the construction of a smaller
vessel, due to be delivered in the first quarter of 2004.
Vessel
bits and pieces
Keen ship spotters (or marine observers - take your pick!) will know
that Swire Pacific Offshore's Pacific Warlock - UT710 - recently left
Aker Brevik to enter the Saipem charter, sailing to join Pacific Blade
and Pacific Banner in pipe work off West Africa. Interestingly, this
left Swire with no tonnage available in the
North
Sea
- though there were rumours that they may bring in a vessel if the spot
tightened to justify it. Pacific Wizard, one of their 'W' class UT710
AHTS, was delivered from INP in
South
Korea
.
The UT712 Skandi Bergen recently underwent an upgrade to DP2,
having a 30 ton crane and helideck installed to enable it to complete a two
year firm, one year option charter to Burullus Offshore, working on the
Scarab and Saffron fields off
Egypt
.
The vessel will leave the
North
Sea
mid April to take up field support duties.
Normand
Master, an
A101 AHTS, was recently delivered to Solstad from Ulstein Verft. The design
of this ship owes a great deal to the Olympic Hercules / Pegasus pair
of vessels which, when they arrived on scene, were viewed as being a very
different profile to many of the designs available. If figures are anything
to go by, then the design has the capacity to become a favourite.
Nomis have purchased, on private terms, the 5900bhp Seacor Argosy.
Meanwhile,
Northen
Canyon
- the DP2 UT745 owned by Canyon Offshore - was sent to
Kristiansand
for the fitting of a Hydralift active heave crane. Due to return to the
market in early April, it was hoped that the vessel would then actively
pursue ROV work. As is to be expected, the vessel will also be made
available for other work although - as has been pointed out - the addition
of the crane might well make cargo work somewhat awkward to obtain. Then
again....
Finally, as
West
Africa
seems to be figuring large, the 1974 built AHTS Valiant Nadir has
been sold, for $1,200,000 on private terms to West African clients. She is a
vessel of limited power nowadays - producing only 4960bhp - which suggests
that the AHTS be dropped in favour of just SV. Following her to undisclosed
buyers in that part of the world were other small bhp vessels, the Reyax
(Ex Freya '73) and Escort Protector (ex Arctic Malik) - boom
time?
Comment
The
simulator, as used by nearly every marine college nowadays, is undoubtedly
the ‘in’ thing for training ship handlers. With the phenomenal advances
in IT, experience of ship handling and bridge discipline can be replicated
by electronic wizardry, ensuring that ‘no damage, no blame’ situations
can be conjured up to suit. Nowadays, an individual does not even have to go
to sea to gain experience of ship handling - such is the power of ‘virtual
learning’. Which is fine in theory - but in practise, there is no
substitute for a rapidly spasming sphincter and associated cold sweat that
ensures you remember a mistake for the future.
Simulators are now available mimicking every situation to be found at
sea and whilst I agree that they can give a taste of authenticity they
cannot - and should not - be a substitute for hands on experience. However,
when one looks at some of the happenings within the industry such as near
misses or whacking the odd rig, it does beg the question as to why hands on
training is nowadays considered a financial ‘second best’ to the all
powerful gizmo. Back in the ‘good old days’ watchkeepers learned their
trade aboard real ships, manned by real people, and often under the eagle
eye of a Master who was extremely keen to keep both his ticket and
reputation. The old Rules of The Road were drummed in to anyone keeping a
watch and whilst the term ‘Bridge Team’ had not been thought up,
everyone involved knew their role and their responsibilities. Failure to
report any light, for example, invariably meant a ‘logging and flogging’
for the lookout and the OOW. As for radar, it was never assumed to be
anything but support for the ‘Eyeball Mark 1’.
It seems that electronics - computers to the great unwashed - are
becoming such an essential part of our lives that the failure of an IT
systems often leaves us helpless. The GPS and Decca go for a burton and
suddenly it’s head scratching and hard thinking back about the theory of
navigation! We have become, like so many industries, too heavily dependent
on the use of electronics within our lives that we are in danger of losing
the traditions that make the trade what it was. I once had the misfortune to
serve on a ship - no names, no pack drill - which was fitted with a full
suite of electronics controlling everything from navigation to the frequency
of the bilge pump. To hear the company talking about it was like listening
to a foreign language, they might as well have been speaking Klingon for all
I knew. A watch on the bridge was like being aboard the Starship
Enterprise, with multi-coloured lights winking and blinking and
mysterious systems whirring and cutting in and out - with the OOW sat
comfortably in a chair overlooking the banks and panels of his world. I
often wondered what my role was during watches as, reporting a light in the
time honoured way, I was politely told that it had been picked up on the
ARPA and that if it got too close the zone alarm would trigger. Meanwhile,
could I make a cup of tea and no sugar, please? Technology, even that far
back in time, had reduced me to no more than an overpaid tea boy who
provided occasional company to the man at the top.
What’s more, to a tea boy that also had to provide for the Duty
Engineer who occasionally chatted to his oppo whilst monitoring the engine
room from five decks above. I digress.
The ship ran into a typical
North
Sea
January gale after coming off location. If I remember it rightly, it was a
nine gusting ten - nothing to write home about. However, sometime during the
early hours the auto-pilot went U/S, the OOW was not quick enough to bring
her back and she took such a violent roll that it knocked the electronics
off line. In a couple of seconds, the ship lost most of her systems.
My oppo, who was on watch at the time, told me later that it took the
Second Mate (a very highly qualified young man indeed, with a BSc in
Nautical Science and a Mate’s FG Certificate of Competency) almost a full
couple of minutes before he realised he had to do something human. In the
meantime, he had run around the wheelhouse like a headless chicken, pushing
buttons and banging switches and wondering out loud whether he should call
the Old Man. He did not even notice that my oppo had - in the time honoured
way - taken the wheel, made sure she was answering to hand steering and was
awaiting the order. by this time the ship was labouring enough to have woken
everyone aboard - including the Old Man.
As
soon as he made the bridge, the Old Man made sure she was head to sea, cut
the main engines back to ride the weather, rang the General Alarm and - as
he cast his eye over everything - held a telephone conference with the
Chief. He also ordered the Leading Hand to get two of the deck crew to the
steering flat, and to have one available on the bridge as his runner. The
helmsman was to stay where he was. In just a few seconds, the Master (who
had served his time on ships that did not have the electronic comfort
blanket of this one) had taken charge and covered all of his options.
That’s experience earned the old way and - given the Master's age -
without the benefit of electronics.
It
turned out later that the reliance on electronic systems and the belief that
the emergency back up system would always cut in was partly to blame. The
presumption held by the 2/M being that if one system went off line then
another would cut in to take its place. However, his lack of experience in
practical situations (and not simulations)
had
almost resulted in a more serious situation developing - the consequences of
which could have been potentially fatal.
I
suppose what I am saying is that the inevitable use of electronics to
replicate reality is the price we pay for advances in technology. However,
it is no substitute for experience - and that is something we are losing
sight of as recent events in the
North
Sea
and elsewhere clearly show. As ships get more and more complicated, are we
at risk of losing the core skills that made seamen the individual breed they
were? The heavy dependence on electronics is something that is producing
more laziness than ever before - look at the rising list of casualties to
back this up. Crews are getting smaller as electro-mechanical systems become
commonplace - and the old joke about the sailor and the dog as the only crew
aboard ship isn't so far fetched*. Are we becoming an industry that is no
longer producing seamen but ‘technicians’? They’re already talking
about magnetic moorings in some spheres - no ties ups or ‘leggo’s’ -
what next? Supply ships that run by remote control?
On a final note, I have a U-boat game on my PC, ‘Silent Hunter
2’. Complex as it may be, faithful to the risks involved for the crews
and as realistic as they can make it, it does not mean I could take charge
of a conventional diesel electric submarine. Even if I can get it alongside
without mishap!
* For those who don't know it, the sailor is aboard the feed the dog -
the dog is there to make sure the sailor doesn't touch anything,
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