I have been getting alot of questions about the Crane Ship Thialf currently in the approaches. Thus, I present this Q&A
Q: Why is it Here? The Thialf is here to remove the topsides and Jackets from the Sable offshore filed. the Crane will lift the topsides, and put them on a barge. the barge will then be taken to sheltered waters, where it will be fastened for sea, and then taken to the UK for recycling. There are 7 platforms, so probably 14 total removals. (the jackets are the platforms legs sitting on the sea floor)
platform removal (SOEP.com)
Q: Why is it not entering the Harbour? Cheaper to anchor out there, Plus no need to pay for pilots, tugs and anchorage in the harbour. Vessels like this have support vessels to bring supplies to them, in this case Atlantic Kestrel and Bylgia. Bylgia traveled from Amsterdam with the Thialf
Q:Where is it Anchored? about 3nm East of Chubucto head.
Location of the Thialf, Bottom right corner.
Q: Wasen’t it here before? One of Heerema’s smaller crane ships, Hermod, was here around 2003. The original Sable Offshore installations were performed in 1998 by the Saipem 7000
Q: If this is the second largest, Whats the largest? Fleet mate Sleipnir. Built last year, it can lift 20,000tons. The Saipem 7000 is the third largest.
Q: you didn’t answer my question.. Ask it in a comment to this post, and i will
the ship is the Rolls Royce UT75L design Platform Supply vessel. It was acquired from Gulfmark and was last reported in Stavinger Norway.
From the renderings above, it looks as though the ship will be modified to perform cable handling work.I have been told that the ship has spent the last month in dry dock, with the Bulk tanks below deck being replaced with a cable tank.
IT Telecom operates from the Maritime Cable Base at Pier 9. IT Telecom currently operates IT Intrepid . IT Interceptor was apparently chartered, and since the end of 2014 has been working as the Italian Cable ship Antonio Meucci – though her class certificates were revoked in January as a survey was not completed – likely due to Corona Virus.
The car carrier Grand Diamond tied up at pier 9c this afternoon to offload 350 cars. The ship will likely be heading to Montreal, and needs to reduce its draft to make up up the river. The cars will then be picked up on the way back. the Ship Sailed at 16:00 giving Singapore as its destination. the ship will sail via the Suez Canal. i suspect the cars are either for local delivery, or another ship will be along to collect them.
The ship arrived from New York, and is likely carrying some sort of project cargo. This happened once before, in 2015, the Glovis Century lightened the load to pick up Military equipment. Since then, the car carriers Toscana and Onyx Arrow also tied up at pier 9 for work periods.
The Supply vessel Bylgia arrived with the crane ship Thialf, and had been standing by in the outer anchorage with the vessel. The Atlantic Kestrel took over, and the Bylgia tied up at pier 9 for supplies.
Both vessels are here for the Sable offshore Decommissioning project.
One Magnificence is a notable arrival as it is the first vessel to call in Halifax for ONE that is in the new ONE Branding – That is with the Magenta painted hull. ONE – short for Ocean Network Express, was formed in 2016 by the merger of the Container business of Japanese shipping lines NYK, MOL and K-Line
the Ship is the former MOL Magnificence, and the ship traded its MOL blue at its last drydocking. ONE will move its ships slowly to the new paint scheme as they are serviced.
The Container ship EF Ava spent the morning riding the hook at anchor. The ship is likely waiting out weather to pass before sailing tonight for Portland Maine.
EF Ava Operates on Eimskips Green Line, stopping in Halifax, Portland, Argentia and Reykjavik.
This week in the Herald, I discuss covid-19, and its impacts on the port, and large offshore projects. as well as the sting of record breaking container ships to call in the coming months.
Since submitting the article:
we have confirmation that the Siem Cicero has been denied entry to the port after the ship reported several ill Crew members.
We also learned that the Crane Ship Thialf arrived in the outer Anchorage this morning. there is no word if it will enter the Harbour, though Atlantic Kesterel paid it a visit this evening.
The worlds second largest crane ship Thialf arrived in the approaches last night after 33 days at sea. the Vessel sailed from Amsterdam, and will be used to remove the Sable Island Offshore Gas field production platforms.
The 2 cranes are able to lift a combined 14,200 tons.
The Resolute had been heading north with no destination or ETA.
RCGS Resolute arrived off the north coast of Trinidad late on March 25th and stopped overnight. On the morning of the 26th she rendezvoused with the tanker Kerkyra, out of Port of Spain, Trinidad, and presumably refueled.
the ship then continued sailing when the ship suddenly began reporting that it was not under command on March 29 about 60 nautical miles off the north coast of Venezuela. the ship drifting at 1.knots less than 20 nautical miles off the uninhabited island of La Tortuga at 13:00 ET.
Not under command is a navigational status indicating that the ship is unable to Maneuver in the water, and all vessels must keep clear.
9 nautical miles off La Tortuga island, and after several hours the ship began steaming again to the west giving Willemstad Curacao as the destination.
In a story that probably couldn’t get much weirder, it now appears the RCGS Resolute collided with and Sunk the Venezuelan Offshore patrol Vessel GC-23 Naiguata at 00:45 on the 30th. the ship gave Willemstad Curacao as its destination yesterday, and arrived this morning where it remains at anchor.
On March 30, 2020, at 00:45, the Coast Guard «Naiguatá» (GC-23), of the Bolivarian Navy, being in maritime patrol tasks of our territorial sea, to the northwest of La Tortuga Island; It was boarded (collided) by the passenger ship “Resolute”, (122 meters long and 8300 tons of displacement), with the Portuguese flag, at the time it was undergoing a maritime traffic control procedure, which caused damage of great magnitude and caused the anxiety of the aforementioned coastguard.
The action of the ship «Resolute» is considered cowardly and criminal, since it did not attend to the rescue of the crew, in breach of the international regulations that regulate the rescue of life at sea. This ship is currently in the port of Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao, where it docked in the morning of today.
Our immediate search and rescue work, together with the professional and courageous performance of our personnel, allowed the full rescue of the crew. The Venezuelan State undertakes the corresponding legal actions.
Chávez lives!… The Homeland continues!
Independence and Socialist Homeland! … We will live and win!
Always loyal!… Traitors never!
In another statement, the Venezuelan government claims the ship was Illegally in Venezuelan waters. the statement reads (Again via google translate)
Miraflores Palace, Caracas.– The head of state and government of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro Moros, asked the Curaçao authorities for maximum collaboration in the investigations of the Portuguese-flagged ship that entered the jurisdictional waters of Venezuela illegally.
“We ask for the greater collaboration of the maritime, civil, police and military authorities of Curaçao and we will maintain coordination,” said the national president, also denouncing that this ship, docked from the morning hours in the city of Willemstad, collided against the Coast Guard «Naiguatá» (GC-23), causing its collapse, which was described as an act of aggression and piracy.
Last Monday after midnight, the passenger ship “Resolute”, measuring 122 meters long and 8,300 tons of displacement, reached Venezuelan waters, 7 miles from La Tortuga Island, activating the Strategic Operational Command for what that a Venezuelan coast guard ship set sail to board this vessel.
For his part, the Minister of Popular Power for Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, explained that the Venezuelan vessel activated the protocols established in international treaties, where he was ordered to go to the port of Margarita. “Being escorted, he decided to ram the Bolivarian navy ship, which caused its sinking,” he said.
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Popular Power for Defense have initiated the corresponding formalities at the diplomatic and military levels, respectively, to clarify this case.
However, the Venezuelan state authorities do not rule out the hypothesis that it is a ship that “was transporting mercenaries to attack military bases in Venezuela, unloading them out there on the high seas.”
“In the early morning hours of the 30th of March 2020 (local time), the cruise vessel RCGS RESOLUTE has been subject to an act of aggression by the Venezuelan Navy in international waters, around 13.3 nautical miles from Isla de Tortuga with 32 crew member and no passengers on board.
When the event occurred, the cruise vessel RCGS RESOLUTE has already been drifting for one day off the coast of the island to conduct some routine engine maintenance on its idle voyage to its destination, Willemstad/ Curaçao. As maintenance was being performed on the starboard main engine, the port main engine was kept on standby to maintain a safe distance from the island at any time.
Shortly after mid-night, the cruise vessel was approached by an armed Venezuelan navy vessel, which via radio questioning the intentions of the RCGS RESOLUTE’s presence and gave the order to follow to Puerto Moreno on Isla De Margarita. As the RCGS RESOLUTE was sailing in international waters at that time, the Master wanted to reconfirm this particular request resulting into a serious deviation from the scheduled vessel’s route with the company DPA.
While the Master was in contact with the head office, gun shots were fired and, shortly thereafter, the navy vessel approached the starboard side at speed with an angle of 135° and purposely collided with the RCGS RESOLUTE. The navy vessel continued to ram the starboard bow in an apparent attempt to turn the ship’s head towards Venezuelan territorial waters.
While the RCGS RESOLUTE sustained minor damages, not affecting vessel’s seaworthiness, it occurs that the navy vessel suffered severe damages while making contact with the ice-strengthened bulbous bow of the ice-class expedition cruise vessel RCGS RESOLUTE and started to take water.
Ready to support anytime, the RCGS RESOLUTE remained for over one hour in vicinity of the scene and reached out to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Curaçao. This is an international body which oversees any maritime emergencies. All attempts to contact those on board the navy ship have been left unanswered.
Only after receiving the order to resume passage full ahead by the MRCC and that further assistance is not required, the RCGS RESOLUTE, currently safely moored in the port of Willemstad, continued sailing towards her destination at Curaçao. A full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident will now be carried out.”
The RCGS Resolute is Flagged in Portugal, and the Portuguese Government is currently in a diplomatic spat with Venezuela, which centered around president Maduros claim that Juan Guaido, who many see as the legitimate president of Venezuela, imported explosives via TAP – the Portuguese national airline. Portugal also recognizes Juan Guaido as the legitimate leader of the country.
Other Nations have in the past has attempted to size ships of other nations over disputes – most notably Iran.
UPDATE: Looks like they tried to hide the loss of the ship by changing the AIS on a tug in Harbour
Before it became obvious that they would not be able to hide the sinking of the Naiguana the regime had the AIS transponder from one of the tug boats in La Guaira harbour changed to match the Naiguana, making it appear as if she was in port and not sunk 180 meters underwater. 🤦 pic.twitter.com/sx0yTj4Pqy
The Venezuelan Government is now claiming that the expedition zodiacs on board are to transport commandos, and are accusing the ship of carrying mercenaries intent on raiding the country.
there are some supporting tweets to the effect of “likely story, there no way they would use tactical craft like that for tourists.
of course a look at One Ocean Expeditions still up website, shows photos of tourists in those exact same boats…
UPDATE – April 5: The Venezuelans have now released a video of the incident, as well as audio, and their claims about the ship. (the radio calls are in English, the rest is Spanish)
