The Americans are curently dealing with their own Towing Incident. Shell Oils drill rig is aground on Kodiak Island Alaska, while being towed to Seatle. The tug lost power, and the tow line was severed in high winds and seas (Sound Familier?) See GCaptain for more
The drilling rig KULLUK was built in 1983 by the Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Company Ltd in Tamano, Japan. KULLUK, whose name means “Thunder” in the Inuvialuit language, was first operated by Gulf Canada Resources, Inc. in the Canadian arctic. Kulluk could drill safely in first-year ice up to 1.2 m (3.9 ft) thick. Dome eventually acquired the vessel, which then passed progressively through acquisitions to Amoco and then BP. BP intended to sell this tool for scrap around 2000. Royal Dutch Shell subsequently purchased the vessel.
She was supported by several specially built off shore support vessels with ice class hulls. Though relatively early designs, many are still in service around the world. Arctic Kalvik was sold to the Murmansk Shipping Co. in 2003 and became Vladimir Ignatyuk (Above). She is the sister ship to CCGS Terry Fox, Which operated as Terry Fox for Beaudrill.
There was a third vessel, the ex Canmar Kigoriak. Built in 1979, For Dome Petroleum, who were also interested in the Beaufort Sea. She is very similar to Terry Fox and Vladimir Ignatyuk, but was built first, and has an additional level below her bridge. Canmar Kigoriak now operates as just Kigoriak for Russian owners. Other Vessels used in Arctic Oil exploration are still in service today. Canmar Supplier II is now Atlantic Towings Atlantic Tern (below). Canmar Supplier IV now works for Northern Transportation as the Jim Kilabuk
You can read about the Kulluk in Canadian service here
UPDATE: Edited April 27/2015 to Correct facts. the Kulluk was scraped in China following the Incident above.
The Sydney NS port Authority is reporting Tugs Atlantic Elm and Fir In Sydney. Both were recently in Quebec, But may have been assigned to bring the Athabaskan back to Halifax..
Stay Tuned.
UPDATE 04/01: Shipfax is reporting Ocean Tugs have headed for home. The Speculation is that Atlantic Towing Dispached their tugs based on the assumption that the contract would be re-tendered. Photo (left) courtesy Sydney Port Authority via twitter.
Addtional update from shipfax – there may have been contact and Athabaskan has been damaged. Read more here and Here which has addtional photos of the damage.
UPDATE 01/01/13: I have received confirmation from a source that there are punctures on the port side of the hull, near the Numbers. Shipfax has the photos
UPDATE 02/01/13: Shipfax is reporting Atlantic Towing will be completing the tow and has tugs in Sydney. They have a good synopsis here
CBC news is reporting “The Iroquois-class destroyer, which is currently docked in North Sydney, has at least seven holes in its hull along with several dents and scrapes. It also appears the ship’s frame may be warped along the waterline. The Royal Canadian Navy declined to comment to CBC News about the extent of the damage.“ the story included this video of the damage
Capt. Doug Keirstead, a spokesman for Maritime Forces Atlantic, said there was no one on the ship at the time, but there were people on the tug.
He said the line was reconnected with the help of a Cormorant helicopter from the airbase in Greenwood, N.S.
“One of the crew members who was on the tug was lowered down to Athabaskan to reconnect the line, as was a member of the tug’s crew,” Keirstead told CBC News on Sunday.
Athabaskan was in St. Catharines, Ont., for a refit. It was on its way to Halifax for the winter when it went adrift.
Once the line was reconnected, the ship was towed to Sydney to wait out the current winter storm. It’s not known when it will resume the journey to Halifax.
Photo HMCS Athabaskan is towed into Sydney harbour to wait out bad weather. (Yvonne Leblanc-Smith/CBC)
Cape Breton post reports
The HMCS Athabaskan drifted in the North Atlantic for hours off Scatarie Island, which has been home to the wreck of the bulk cargo ship, MV Miner, for the past 15 months. Capt. Doug Keirstead, a spokesman for Marine Forces Atlantic, said the tow line broke due to the poor weather in the region at the time. There was no one on the Athabaskan at the time, said Keirstead, adding the immediate concern was for the safety of the crew towing the vessel to the Halifax naval dockyard. “It was drifting at about 0.5 knots, so it was going very slow,” he said, Sunday. “I do know that they were far enough offshore to allow the ship to be reconnected safely and efficiently, and of course be towed into Sydney at that point to safely avoid the poor weather.” Keirstead said he was unsure of the exact distance from shore, but given the drifting speed of the Athabaskan, and the time it took to have a Cormorant helicopter fly from its Annapolis Valley airbase in Greenwood to help reconnect the tow line, the ship wasn’t in danger of running aground. The commercial tugs, contracted by the Canadian Forces, pulled the Iroquois-class destroyer into Sydney harbour late Saturday afternoon. The HMCS Athabaskan, which has been in service for the Canadian Forces since 1972, had been undergoing a refit in St. Catharines, Ont., and was being towed back to its home port of Halifax prior to the winter closing of the St. Lawrence Seaway. It hasn’t been determined when the ship will resume its voyage to Halifax, Keirstead said. He said it’s not unusual for a tow line to break. “When we’re having to contend with severe weather conditions, which include high winds and rough seas, that can place a challenge on towing a vessel like that.” It’s not expected there will be an investigation into the tow line break as it’s a “reasonably straight forward issue,” Keirstead said. However, he noted the Canadian Forces always looks at lessons learned and how that can be applied to future tows.
Additional update from the Cape Breton Post:
The HMCS Athabaskan was tied up at the Osprey dock in North Sydney, Monday. The Canadian destroyer, which was being towed by two tugboats from St. Catharines, Ont. and had its tow line break off Scatarie Island, will remain in Sydney harbour until weather conditions improve, and then continue on with its trip to the port of Halifax. (additional image Steve Wadden, Cape Breton Post)
HMCS Athabaskan left Port Weller last night, crossed Lake Ontario today, and is now in the Saint Lawrence seaway. Athabaskan sailed to Port Weller for a scheduled work interval when the seaway opened in march, but the refit ran long, and she must now be towed to Halifax before the seaway closes inland of Montreal, Dec 31 for the winter.
The Tugs Ocean Delta (forward) and Andre H (Aft) have the tow. If Andre H Looks familier, its because she lived in Halifax for a number of years as Point Valiant at ECTug. They have a Halifax ETA on the 31st.
Photo Lynda Crothers HMCS Athabaskan Passing Wolfe Island at 1530
Photo Capt. Andrew FerrisMeeting the HMCS Athabascan with tugs at Carleton Island
The Department of National Defence (DND) intends to replace its fleet of large tugs currently deployed in both HMC Dockyards Halifax in Nova Scotia and Esquimalt in British Columbia. It is expected that the requirement will provide for the construction, test, trial and delivery of six large tugs. The large tugs intended to be replaced are the five Glen Class tugs and the two Fire Class tugs.
The requirements for the new tugs include Daily in harbour operations consisting of hot or cold moves of existing and future warships up to 25,000 tons; Assisting in closing harbour gates, delivering supplies or fresh water, buoy operations and other routine harbour tasks; Twin engine/propulsion plant capable of delivering an approximate bollard pull of 40 tons or an equivalent total power of 4,000 bhp; Fire fighting capability (FiFi 1); Full speed of at least 12 knots; Preferred length overall not to exceed 33 metres; Draft shall not exceed 6 meters; Modern configuration that includes ergonomic features enabling a single person operation from the conning position for any projected evolution in any direction;
The vessels will be operated by a civilian crew holding Transport Canada certification; The vessels are to be built according to Transport Canada Near Coastal Voyage Class II Regulations and Standards and to a Transport Canada recognised classification society.
The existing Glen and Fire class tugs were built in 1975 and 1978 respectively
(Above) CFAV Firebird, A Fire Class Tug (below) CFAV Glenevis, A Glen Class tug
The Government of Canada Issued a tender on Merx to have HMCS Athabaskan towed back to Halifax. She departed in the March for Port Weller Dry Dock for a Maintinance period. It looks like the work will not be complete in time for the closing of the seaway Dec 30th, So the Government wants her towed back to Halifax.
From Merx: Requirement: To TOW Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Athabaskan from St. Catharines, Ontario (Port Weller) to HMC Dockyard Halifax, Nova Scotia in accordance with the provided Technical Statement of Requirement dated October 30, 2012.
Destination: The TOW is from St. Catharines, Ontario (Port Weller) to HMC Dockyard Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Work Period: The beginning of the towing period will be between December 1, 2012 and before the closure of the St-Lawrence Seaway 2012 navigational season.
Canadian registered tug William J. Moore and barge McClearys Spirit. It is Speculated that both are about to be re-flagged, after being laid up in Quebec for several months.
Reports are that the Bennington Group, who was contracted to remove the M/V Miner from Scaterie island has pulled out. The Miner was being towed to Turkey for scrapping when the tow line parted and she ran aground. Given the closesness to winter, Miner will likely remain where she is at least until the spring.
The CEO of Bennington repededly complained that any metals of value had been removed from the ship, and sited burocracy for delays.
I Suspect the real reason for the pull out is that Bennington realized it would cost more to Scrap the ship then the scrap was worth, and now want to cut their losses.
The head of the company contracted to salvage the MV Miner said he is walking away from the project. Abe Shah, of the New York-based Bennington Group, said he met with officials from Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday. Shah demanded the province cover his insurance and equipment going forward. He said he was refused, and said he has decided to walk away from the salvage project for good.
Shah said he has spent more than $300,000 on the project. He said he plans to sue the province for compensation.
On Oct. 29, the province lifted a stop-work order on the project after reviewing safety plans. At the time, the head of the Bennington Group, said he was ready to turn his back on the salvage because of continuous delays.
The MV Miner has been stuck off Cape Breton’s coast for more than a year. It was en route to Turkey when the towline snapped and it ran aground.
This afternoon we will see Bunkering – US Style. In Halifax (And much of the rest of the world im told) Bunkering is done from a smallish dedicated Tanker – such as our own Algoma Dartmouth, and the NT Dartmouth before that.
The shuttle tankers Kometik and Mattea will be bunkered via the Barge Columbia with the Tug Siberian Sea. It is common in the US to use a Tug and Barge to move oil, as this combination requires less crew then a full tanker does. This sort of combination makes periodic apperances at the Imperial Oil Docks.
There is no word on why Algoma Dartmouth is not being used, However it could be the Algoma Dartmouth, or the Low Sulfer Fuel required is unavailable. UPDATE: It appears the Low Sulfer Fuel is not currently available in Halifax. In the Fall refinery shift their product lines, and Imperial Oil may currently be shutdown for that transition. Algoma Dartmouth was imported to Canada, but an agreement was made that it could not trade outside the Harbour, or the Substantial Import Duty would need to be paid on her. Thus she is unavailable to make the trip to St John NB.
The Tug Siberian Sea and Barge Columbia are owned by K-SEA OPERATING LLC, and are based out of New York NY. The tug was built in 1980 and is Powered by two EMD 12-645 E-2 diesel engines, she is a twin screw tug rated at 3,300 horsepower. The Barge Columbia has a capcity of 58000 Barrels.
Eta is 1400. Photos to follow. The tug and barge arrived after 6pm tonight, and set right to work. The Barge is hard to see as it it very low in the water. Better Daylight Photo’s Tomorrow.
