TUG Magazine May 20041.78 MB
Transcription
TUG Magazine May 20041.78 MB
May 2004 SMIT S A LVA G E C O M P L E T E S CHAL L E N G I N G J O B ON ‘TA S M A N S P I R I T ’ ( PAGE 5 ) More } } } Work on new head office is progressing 2 SMIT wastes no time with implementation of new safety code 3 ‘Tricolor’ wreck removal resumed in May 4 Operation ‘Everton’ grand success 7 SMIT Panama prolongs exclusive concession 8 New pusher tugs for Keppel SMIT Towage 8 Barracuda/Caratinga FPSO project in Brazilian waters 9 SMIT Bristol assists Dutch Navy 9 Four sheerlegs place new cyclist bridge over river ‘Waal’ 11 Transport of tunnel parts for High Speed Train Tunnel 11 Dahej outfall project 12 ‘John Ross’ becomes ‘Smit Amandla’ 14 SMIT webshop opens its doors 15 Helping hand 15 page 4 SMIT starts construction of two new vessels page 6 8 New building tugs expected for SMIT Panama 13 16 Promising new pro-active Fast Oil Recovery technology page Successful parbuckling operation of MV ‘Rocknes’ 10 page ‘Rion Antirion’ bridge challenges ‘Taklift 7’ New contracts SMIT Terminals in Africa 1 page page W W W. S M I T. C O M WORK ON NEW HEAD OFFICE IS PROGRESSING Work on the new SMIT head office is well underway. With only a few months to go before the big move, the office appears to be nearly finished. However, there is a great deal of work to do before it is ready. Although the outside may be nearing completion, work has yet to begin on the inside. POS I T I V E SIGN S A few months ago, SMIT presented the 2003 annual figures, which were obviously good. Naturally, we are delighted and proud, especially after the past few lean years. The improved result is a direct result of the support and trust that we have always had from our clients and we are very grateful to them! Our strategy of returning to our core activities - ‘lifting’, ‘towage’, ‘pushing’ and ‘pulling’ - has also paid off. After a period of reorganisation and economizing, SMIT is now back on track. This means that we are looking to the future with confidence. And the main focus of our attention is our most important stakeholder and that is you, our client. The relocation of the head office has been in the works for quite some time now, and there are many more months of work ahead. Certain individuals have been appointed to lead the moving operation to ensure that it runs smoothly once the big moment comes. In the meantime, warehouses that used to be in Maassluis and Ridderkerk have already been relocated. The warehouse where all kinds of SMIT equipment is stored is now located just a stone’s throw from the new head office, next to the harbour bay where SMIT recently began mooring its sheerlegs, tugs and barges. SMIT Harbour Towage Rotterdam’s tugs will remain at their current strategic position. The company Multiplan of Den Bosch is responsible for the complete development of the project, and supplied the architecture and the interior design. After being chosen as a preferred company out of the six that were asked to submit draft plans, Multiplan provided SMIT with an architectural design that was very much in line with the company’s wishes. Their interior designer subsequently submitted a draft plan, and after studying the plan SMIT was content to have Multiplan co-ordinate and develop this part of the building process. The floor plan is designed in co-operation with SMIT’s Facility Services department. The new location offers SMIT several advantages. For one, the 13 locations in Rotterdam will soon be combined into a single homebase and three secondary facilities. This is much more cost-effective and will also help to integrate the different operational and office units, which will generate a sense of unity and shared responsibility. This will provide SMIT with the great advantage of having all its operations integrated at a single location, thus creating maximum synergy. The new location is called Pier 3 of the Waalhaven in Rotterdam. SMIT’s initiative to set up its homebase at that location has served as a catalyst for the development of this particular part of the Waalhaven and the area will now be developed as an extensive office park for the maritime industry. SMIT’s facility will be the first of at least four office buildings for port-related organisations. Talks with the authorities on accessibility to the site have been completed. In future the development plans for the Waalhaven may go much further than merely attracting new companies. Parts of the Waalhaven may be filled in to create a site for a new football stadium. These plans, however, are still under discussion. The floor plan of the new office has been designed to improve internal integration. Where the current office has a kind of “cell” structure where many employees have their own office, the new building has a lot of glass and open workspaces. Free and open communication between colleagues is the goal for the future. Waalhaven, pier 3 SMIT expects to move into its new building at the beginning of December 2004. In order to serve you even better in the future, SMIT has started a programme of fleet renewal and expansion. We are working to strengthen our service offerings within the defined core activities. In addition, we have signed contracts for new ships. There is an article in this edition of TUG Magazine about the new ships that have been ordered for the Harbour Towage, Terminals and Transport & Heavy Lift Divisions. These vessels are part of the new standardisation process and is based on its proven technology. The construction of the new SMIT head office currently underway at the Waalhaven in Rotterdam is another positive sign. SMIT and its people are looking ahead with confidence. And the primary objective is- as always - a healthy relationship with you, our client. Ben Vree Chief Executive Officer Colophon For any information about specific activities, equipment and services, please apply to: SMIT Zalmstraat 1 P.O. Box 1042 3000 BA Rotterdam Tel + 31 10 454 99 11 Fax + 31 10 454 97 77 E-mail company@smit.com SMIT’s new head office. Editor SMIT Public Relations Marije Soto Hans de Jong Design & production Studio Clarenburg, Schiedam Photography SMIT Public Relations Ian Jackson Edwin Otter Roderik van Nispen Peter Maenhoudt Illustrations Studio Clarenburg, Schiedam Printing Schefferdrukkerij bv, Dordrecht Texts SMIT Public Relations TRS Public Relations Copyright Texts can be reproduced after permission from the editor TUG MAGAZINE 1 3 | 4 2 1 Berthing place for barges and sheerlegs. 2 Floating pier, length 200 meters. 5 3 New warehouse. 4 Dry storage. 5 Outside storage. 6 Headquarters. 6 Aerial view of new location at the Waalhaven in Rotterdam. SMIT WASTES NO TIME WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW SAFETY CODE SMIT’s SHE-Q Department, which provides Safety, Health, Environment and Quality support to all SMIT’s activities, is working on the final stage of the implementation of the ISPS code. The ISPS (International Ship & Port Facility Security) code is one of the most recent developments in international legislation for the shipping industry. The code was established in accordance with the new international perspective on criteria for the security of shipping activities. SMIT is affected by the code not only because of its fleet, but also due to its having a number of port facilities under its control. The concept of having one internal service provider for vessel management within SMIT (Smit Vessel Management Services) has proven its value through the efficient and timely implementation and certification of the fleet in compliance with the ISPS code. Although not entirely completed yet, there is a clear indication that all the vessels exceeding 500 gross tonnes within the SMIT fleet will be in possession of a valid certificate well before the deadline of 1 July 2004. Certification means that personnel on board and ashore have received security training, that hardware for vessel identification is installed, that there are security plans for each and every vessel and security drills have been held. In cooperation with the Port of Rotterdam authorities, security plans are being developed for our new facility at the Waalhaven in Rotterdam. Due to our role as a provider of harbour towage services in the major ports of the world, it is anticipated that the impact of the ISPS code will go beyond our 500+ gross tonnage vessels and port facilities and will affect the security measures on harbour tugs, which no doubt play an important role in the security structure of ports. The same goes for the Terminals Division, where we will tie in with the security plans of the onshore and offshore terminals in delivering our services to the oil industry. ‘Toolbox meeting’: before a diver descends, he and his colleagues check the diving plan including all safety aspects. 3 W W W. S M I T. C O M ‘TRICOLOR’ WRECK REMOVAL RESUMED IN MAY The wreck removal of the ‘Tricolor’, the vehicle carrier that was lost in December 2002, 20 miles off the French coast in the English Channel, resumed in the beginning of May. Four sections from the vessel that was cut into nine still lie on the ocean floor and will be lifted and transported to Zeebrugge. All the cutting work on the vessel finished last year before the operation was halted in November due to bad weather conditions. The 1987-built ‘Tricolor’ was lost following a collision with the container ship ‘Kariba’. The ‘Tricolor’ was en route to Southampton from Antwerp, laden with nearly 3,000 luxury cars. There were also some 2,000 tonnes of bunker oil on board. The vessel suffered damage so severe that she went down in less than half an hour. Thankfully, all crewmembers were rescued. So far, the Combinatie Berging Tricolor, the consortium responsible for the wreck removal operation, has performed all eight required cuts and has removed five of the nine sections from the seabed. The cutting was done using the specially designed cutting wire also used by SMIT for removing the nose of the Russian nuclear submarine ‘Kursk’. CBT has sub-contracted SMIT Salvage to finalise the work. Besides removing the remaining sections of the wreckage, the salvors will make sure that all debris larger than one metre is collected. This includes the cars that have slipped out of the vessel into the sea. As there may still be small quantities of oil trapped on board the vessel, an anti-oil-pollution vessel will be stationed next to the ‘Tricolor’ to prevent oil from escaping. Depending on weather conditions, SMIT Salvage intends to complete all its activities on the ‘Tricolor’ in August this year. ‘Taklift4’ working on site. SMIT STARTS CONSTRUCTION OF TWO NEW VESSELS SMIT Transport & Heavy Lift (a division of SMIT) has ordered two new ships to be built at the Keppel Singmarine shipyard in Singapore. This order involves the construction of two Anchor Handling Tug Supply Vessels. Both vessels have a bollard pull capacity of 70 tonnes and will be delivered in the second half of 2005. In addition to the contract for the two new vessels, SMIT has also taken an option on two other vessels with a bollard pull of 120 tonnes. These are the first vessels in SMIT´s new standardisation process. All four ships share the same basic design. They have 450 square metres of open deck space, underdeck supply capacity, accommodation capacity for more than 40 persons, Dynamic Positioning 2 and FiFi I. The investment will provide SMIT with vessels capable of performing a diverse variety of tasks. In addition to tasks such as anchor handling and supply, the ships can be used for salvage and maritime projects. The ships have also been equipped to hold a deck crane and an A-frame. The variable purposes of the vessels, and the possibility to adapt and configure them, enables us to meet our client´s wide-ranging requirements. The vessels will be used for anchor handling, supply, salvage and project support in Southeast Asia and West Africa. SMIT has chosen Keppel Singmarine to build these vessels due to the yard’s expertise in the construction of this type of vessel and because of its established reputation of delivering highquality work at competitive prices. Technical details 70 TBP AHTS Bollard pull: 70 tonnes Horse power: 2 x 3300 bhp = 6600 bhp Length overall: 70.9 m Beam: 16.0 m Draft: 5.6 m Deck space: 450m2 Dynamic Positioning 2 (DP2) Fire Fighting I (FiFi I) Winch: 225 tonnes brake force, 150 tonnes pull force; 2 drums: 2 x 1000m x 58mm Bow screws: 2 x 750 bhp Stern screws: 1 x 750 bhp Accommodation: 42 persons (18 x single and12 x double cabins) Option: 120 TBP AHTS Bollard pull: 120 tonnes Horse power: 2 x 5000 bhp = 10000 bhp Length overall: 70.9 m Beam: 16.0 m Draft: 5.6 m Deck space: 450m2 Dynamic Positioning 2 (DP2) Fire Fighting I (FiFi I) Winch: 400 tonnes brake force, 150 tonnes pull force; 3 drums: 1 x 1800m x 68mm and 2 x 1300m x 68mm Bow screws: 2 x 750 bhp Stern screws: 1 x 750 bhp Accommodation: 42 persons (18 x single and 12 x double cabins) TUG MAGAZINE SMIT SALVAGE COMPLETES CHALLENGING JOB ON ‘TASMAN SPIRIT’ IN PAKISTAN The ‘Tasman Spirit’ grounded in the Channel of the port of Karachi on 27 July. SMIT Salvage removed the remaining oil, prior to the wreck removal operation. The entire operation has taken several months. SMIT Salvage was awarded the contract to remove the wreck of the Motor Tanker ‘Tasman Spirit’ near Karachi in Pakistan in December 2003 by The American Club, the P&I club of the Greek-owned ‘Tasman Spirit’. Hans van Rooij, managing Director of SMIT Salvage said, ‘The wreck removal operation was extremely challenging. The SMIT team not only had strong currents, access difficulties and zero visibility to contend with, but also the fact that the vessel was embedded in a trench some six metres deep and had completely fractured into two sections. We are pleased to have finished the job with our team safe. They did a good job.’ The ‘Tasman Spirit’ wreck removal operation took place in the middle of a busy shipping lane. Indications were that SMIT’s spread could be It was the forward section that had sustained subject to customs duties of some 46% of the most severe structural damage, with over the value of the equipment either on site or 90% of the bottom plating damaged or missen route. If accurate, the total sum due would ing up to a height of four meters from the have been approximately $14 million. It is keel bottom. The aft section cargo tanks had customary for coastal states to waive customs experienced severe damage to the bottom requirements if, as was the case in Karachi, the plating and longitudinal bulkheads, and a large equipment is only going to be in the country section of the starboard side shell plating and temporarily to carry out a specific operation. tank framework was destroyed. But the magnitude of these potential duties and the wording of Due to the time constraints We have a related financial guarantees placed by the approaching were threatening the practimonsoon season, and the great team working cal and financial basis of previously unknown extent the salvage operation to of the damage sustained by successfully on a remove the wreck of the the `Tasman Spirit´, a com‘Tasman Spirit’. bination of patching and liftchallenging job. ing was employed to expedite Hans van Rooij, said at this the wreck removal while allowpoint, ‘I am flying to Karachi ing for contingency immediately to join my team and planning. help them get to the bottom of these problems. Salvage is never an easy business, On 10 February salvage work on the ‘Tasman but in this case we have a great team working Spirit’ was temporarily stopped whilst SMIT successfully on a challenging job. We want to Salvage awaited clarification of a demand re-float the ship and make the channel into by Pakistan customs for extraordinarily high Karachi safe. However, now we have a bureauduties on their equipment. This was the point cratic mountain to move before we can do our in the operation at which the forward section job. of the wreck was ready to be re-floated and I am hoping that common sense will prevail taken to Gadani Beach, where a buyer awaited and I am looking to meet the people who can delivery. make the right decisions.’ The wreck of the ‘Tasman Spirit’ was eventually successfully removed. The aft section was refloated and was delivered to buyers at Gadani Beach in the province of Baluchistan, Pakistan. This followed the earlier removal of the forward section of the tanker. The semi-submersible barge ‘Smit Anambas’ The broken vessel was partly submersed. Speaking in London, Brian Davies, Claims Director of The American Club said, ‘We are very pleased with the outcome. SMIT has completed a difficult operation under difficult circumstances well within the required time frame. It was very important to remove the wreck before the onset of the South West monsoon.’ lies next to the ‘Tasman Spirit’. The removal of the wreck ensures that the channel is much safer for navigation into and out of Karachi, the port that handles some 90% of Pakistan’s seaboard trade. 5 W W W. S M I T. C O M ‘Rocknes’ during the parbuckling operation. SUCCESSFUL PARBUCKLING OPERATION OF MV ‘ROCKNES’ When the rock-dumping vessel ‘Rocknes’ capsized and sank in the Vatlestraumen in Norway on 19 January, the country was shocked by this terrible accident. Not since World War II had a naval accident caused so many deaths in the country. It took the lives of eighteen seafarers. Fortunately, twelve members of the crew were rescued immediately after the capsizing due to the fast response of emergency teams. A survey of the vessel´s condition led to the belief that it could be salvaged, repaired and put back into use. For this reason, experts from SMIT Salvage were contracted to find a salvage approach that would allow the ‘Rocknes’ to be recovered with the least possible damage. It was decided that the best method would be to parbuckle the vessel using specialised techniques well known to SMIT Salvage. The work would be difficult and hazardous, and require meticulous and detailed planning for every stage of the salvage operation. The parbuckling operation was completed, the vessel was stabilised and de-watered to allow a search party in to find the bodies of missing crewmembers. Unfortunately they only found one, and one remains missing. In the meantime another team worked on the preservation of the engine and other important instruments. Other parts of the vessel were sprayed with anti-corrosion material. When the final tasks were finished the vessel was towed to a dry dock in Bergen where SMIT’s involvement ended and repairs were started. Yet another complex and difficult salvage operation had been completed successfully. ´PRIDE OF AMERICA´ REFLOATED IN BREMERHAVEN SMIT Salvage has successfully refloated the cruise ship ‘Pride of America’ at the Bremerhaven in Germany. The three flooded decks of the cruise ship were dewatered and the vessel was towed into a dry dock where repairs got under way. Heavy winches on barges pulled ‘Rocknes’ in a upright position. After weeks of careful preparations, the parbuckling operation was eventually carried out on 28 March. Wires slowly pulled the ‘Rocknes’, with her length of 166 metre and weight of approximately 9,000 tonnes, 180 degrees round to an upright position. The wires were connected to the vessel’s bottom plates from where they passed around the hull to surface again on the other side of the vessel and led to winches placed on two barges. The barges, which were moored in the bay, were specially outfitted for the operation. The pulling capacity needed for the operation was a minimum of 3,000 tonnes divided over eight winches. This entire operation was performed at the CCB yard in Agotnes. Before the parbuckling began, the vessel was secured at her starboard side by means of hold-back wires connected to 12 rock anchors each drilled 12 metres down into the rock structure of the jetty. On the portside the ‘Rocknes’ was connected to the two pull-barges. Winches that were mounted on these barges pulled into the opposite shore. Here, strongpoints had been installed, also by means of the rock anchor technique. The barges were pulled towards the shore and the attached vessel was forced into a rotating movement. It was pulled into an upright position in one day. In order to facilitate the parbuckling process, the vessel’s starboard side tanks were ballasted and her portside tanks were pressurised with air. In accordance with the laws of physics, the starboard side tanks lost buoyancy and sank while the portside tanks rose. In addition, the starboard tanks were able to resist the water pressure when the tanks reached the rotating depth of approximately 20 metres. The Norwegian Cruise Line ‘Pride of America’ has a length of over 280 metres and a passenger capacity of more than 2,200. It is owned by Norwegian Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Malaysian Star Cruises, who bought the vessel as an uncompleted hull when American Classic Voyages went bankrupt in 2001. The Lloyd Werft Shipyard was lengthening and composing the vessel when it took on water during a storm at Bremerhaven in January. The storm caused the vessel to take on water, probably as a result of a hull leak. Three decks of the ‘Pride of America’ filled with water. After the storm the vessel listed approximately 14 degrees to starboard and settled on the bottom of the harbour, with three decks submerged. A construction crane crashed into a building when the ship listed, injuring three workers on the ship. SMIT Salvage was called in to upright the partly flooded cruise ship. After several weeks of preparations the pump operation started in mid-February. Prior to this operation, SMIT connected the submersible barge ‘Giant 2’ to the port side of the cruise vessel in order to stabilise it. Within 20 hours the vessel was refloated and placed in a nearly upright position. One day later the cruise liner was towed to a dry dock at Lloyd Werft where it will be completed. SMIT Salvage looks back on a well-performed operation. TUG MAGAZINE TEAMWORK BETWEEN SMIT AND OMANI GOVERNMENT MAKES OPERATION ‘EVERTON’ GRAND SUCCESS On 7 April 2004, SMIT Salvage successfully completed a major pollution prevention operation. The tanker ‘Everton’ had collided with a Taiwanese fishing vessel on the morning of March 22, and large fires broke out aboard the vessel. An Omani response team managed to put out the fires, and passing vessels picked up the crew. The success of the operation diverted the threat of a major ecological disaster. During the operation, SMIT Salvage worked closely with an Omani task force of naval units and the Coast Guard. Together they implemented a salvage plan involving temporary repairs to the tanker, the safe discharge of over 80,000 tonnes of crude oil at a safe location and the towage of the casualty to Fujairah for repairs. Access to sheltered waters was an important factor in the successful outcome. SMIT Salvage Managing Director Hans van Rooij mentioned that the successful tanker salvage and pollution prevention operation shows what can be accomplished through close co-operation between salvor, governments and national response agencies. The Government of Oman supported the salvors when they requested a place of refuge for the ‘Everton’ and the conditions set for a safe haven were fair and reasonable. It was also said that the ‘Everton’ salvage SMIT’s team worked with the ‘Everton’ Master, Chief Officer and Chief Engineer on a work programme that would prepare the ‘Everton’ for a safe ship-to-ship transfer of its cargo. One member of the salvage team assumed the role of Shoreside Coordinator and worked closely with the Omani authorities. Meanwhile, the tugs ‘Hellas’ and ‘SmitWijs London’ were standing by. The cargo transfer was initially meant to take place at Salalah, but favourable weather permitted a change of plan. After the gash in the tanker’s side was effectively closed with chicken wire and polyurethane foam, the vessel was towed to a sheltered bay where the transfer was performed under excellent weather conditions. The gash was effectively closed with SMIT Salvage was impressed at the high level of response capability shown by the Omani authorities. The very high level of co-ordination was apparent from the first, when the salvage team was met at the airfield and driven to a boat waiting to take them out to the naval vessel. Then the pollution control equipment was brought up swiftly and at the initiative of the agencies ashore. The attitude towards the request for a safe haven was positive. Thanks to the Omani authorities, no time was wasted when the team arrived on scene. After the completion of the ship-to-ship transfer from the ‘Everton’, ‘SmitWijs London’ towed the vessel to Fujairah Dry Dock for repairs and the operation was brought to an end. chicken wire and polyurethane foam. The ship-to-ship transfer was performed and cargo transfer represents a model for future operations of this type for SMIT Salvage. The ‘Everton’ was heading from Kharg Island to the Egyptian Red Sea port of Ain Sukna when the accident occurred in the Gulf of Oman. The fishing vessel ran off immediately after the collision, leaving the ‘Everton’ with a horizontal split in its port side shell. All the damage was above the waterline, but some 400 tonnes of oil was lost. The oil ignited and most of it was consumed in the resulting fire forward. The crew was forced to abandon ship and all but one were rescued. The last seafarer was never found, despite an exhaustive search and rescue operation. The Omani response team eventually put out the fires on 24 March. After receiving a Lloyd’s Open Form for the ‘Everton’, SMIT salvage sent out a team of five to Oman. Omani military personnel picked them up on the island of Masirah and took them to the ‘Everton’, where they arrived on 25 March. under excellent weather conditions. When they arrived onsite, the salvage team saw that the fire damage to the port side was quite severe. The fire had reached the accommodation. The main collision damage consisted of a 13-metre-long gash in the side shell, some 35-40 centimetres wide. This ran horizontally some 5 metres above the water line and 1.5 metres below deck level. There was minor leakage from the gash in the side. 7 W W W. S M I T. C O M SMIT PANAMA PROLONGS EXCLUSIVE CONCESSION WITH MIT/CCT TERMINAL SMIT has succeeded in renewing its exclusive concession for the provision of harbour towage service at the MIT and CCT container terminal. The Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT), owned by SSA, and Coco Solo Terminal (CCT) are situated on the Cristobal side of the Panama Canal. In 2001 SMIT Panama was awarded an exclusive concession agreement for harbour towage services at both terminals for a period of three years. General Manager Capt. Ronald Neomagus says: ‘The MIT/CCT container terminals are the largest container terminals we have in Panama. As a result, the towage operations at these terminals are of importance to us. Not only because of the substantial number of tug jobs, but also because of the fact that we can now continue rendering assistance to many of SMIT’s global customers, like Maersk, P&O Nedlloyd, Mitsui, Hapag Lloyd, NYK and ZIM Lines. In order to ensure optimal logistics combined with timely and safe berthing and unberthing of vessels, SMIT has set up a SMIT implant office with MIT in 2001. The value of our companies’ past experience was, without doubt, an important advantage we had during the contract negotiations. Over the last years we have managed to build up a relationship of mutual trust and understanding with both the board and the employees of MIT/CCT. This positive relation- ship has, of course, also contributed to the continuation of our exclusive concession.’ Capt. Ronald Neomagus also mentions the fact that SMIT Panama has always provided the right tugs for the job. The ‘Smit Mersey’, ‘Smit Mississippi’ and the ‘Smit Tobago’ are dedicated tugs for towage at the terminals. The first two tugs have a bollard pull of 62 tonnes. The ‘Smit Tobago’ has 40 tonnes. The 1999 DAMEN built tugs are particularly suited to this type of work. With these tugs we can ensure timely and safe berthing and unberthing to our customer at all times. ‘We are happy to say that SMIT will continue to do this job in the next years to come!’ NEW BUILDING TUGS EXPECTED FOR SMIT PANAMA SMIT has ordered two new tugs for its towage operations in Panama. The new vessels will be built with DAMEN Shipyards in Galatz (Romania). SMIT has chosen to purchase two Azimuth Stern Drive Tugs with 4626 bhp and a bollard pull of 54 tonnes. Due to the positive experience with the ‘Smit Mersey’ and Smit Mississippi’ , the choice for ASD propulsion was obvious. Our customers, the pilots and the terminal operators gave their full support to our choice. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the first new tug is expected to arrive in Panama in the first week of September 2004. The second tug will arrive approximately seven months later. The investment in new tonnage is a logical result of the positive future outlook for the harbour towage operations in Panama. Several investment projects are expected to be finalised in the near future. For example, in Cristobal (Atlantic side) both the MIT and CCT terminals are currently investing in extension of the quay space and container yards. As a result, more traffic is expected. In Balboa (Pacific side) the container terminal owned by Hutchinson Whampoa will also be extended. Extension of the quay in Balboa will provide space for more panamax vessels. The new infrastructure will add an estimated 450,000 TEUs per year to the existing 360,000 TEUs handled in 2002. The project is expected to be completed in 2004. dent that the investment will give a positive incentive to the shipping community. With the new powerful ASD tugs, SMIT will be able to continue providing quick and safe assistance to our customers in valued Panama. Damen ASD tug 2810 With its investment in new tonnage, SMIT acknowledges the strategic importance of its operations in Panama. The company is confi- NEW PUSHER TUGS FOR KEPPEL SMIT TOWAGE The ‘Maju Star’ Joint venture company Keppel SMIT Towage Pte Ltd has just taken delivery of two pusher tugs, ‘Indah Tiga’ and ‘Maju Star’, from Keppel Singmarine. The tugs measure 27.9 metres in overall length and 3.8 metres in draft design. Each of these tugs is powered by two 1,800 hp Niigata engines and has a bollard pull of 45 tonnes. Both tugs are also equipped with fire-fighting capability. Each of them is fitted with two SKUM fire monitors (600m3 each). The tugs are classified by Lloyd’s Register. The ‘Indah Tiga’ These two tugs are currently working in Singapore Harbour and have increased the fleet size of Keppel SMIT Towage Pte Ltd to 28. TUG MAGAZINE BARRACUDA/CARATINGA FPSO PROJECT IN BRAZILIAN WATERS SMIT Transport & Heavy Lift has successfully completed work on the inshore integration of the P-43 (Barracuda) and P-48 (Caratinga) Floating Production Storage and Offloading units (FPSOs) in Brazil. SMIT’s involvement consisted of the project management, engineering and provision of equipment and services, required for the safe transportation and installation of the 24 topside process modules. Kellog, Brown and Root INC awarded the contract in June 2002. They based their award on SMIT’s proven ability to produce high-quality results coupled with SMIT’s provision of tailor-made solutions. To lift the modules, SMIT utilised its Brazilian based sheerlegs, ‘Taklift 6’, with a capacity of 1,200 tonnes and a draught of approximately 3.50 meters in combination with its 1,600 tonnes ‘Taklift 4’, which was mobilised out of Europe and has a draught of approximately 4.00 meters. Both sheerlegs were ideal for the performance required in very shallow waters. ‘Taklift 4’ and ‘Taklift 6’ performing a tandem lift. Due to the weight (up to 1,600 tonnes) and required outreach, 12 modules required a tandem lift by both sheerlegs. The remaining lifts were performed by either ‘Taklift 6’ or ‘Taklift 4’ separately. Together, the two floating sheerlegs performed approximately 70 lifts, some of which were done under challenging conditions. One of conditions was that the lifting work required the design and fabrication of a purpose-built lifting frame, which was utilised for both single and tandem lifts. While the Barracuda FPSO was moored in Niteroi, a small town near Rio de Janeiro, the Caratinga FPSO was moored at a yard in Angra dos Reis, about 130 kilometres south of Rio de Janeiro. SMIT subcontracted the Brazilian company Superpesa to transport all the modules by barge from the four different manufacturing yards in the Rio de Janeiro area to the FPSOs. Local partners Camorim and Wilson Sons provided the tugs for assisting the sheerlegs and for the towage of the barges. The last module was installed on Caratinga FPSO at the end of February 2004 according to schedule. SMIT BRISTOL ASSISTS DUTCH NAVY To ensure that the officers and crew of the Dutch frigate HNLMS ‘Willem van der Zaan’ were fully trained and ready for their frontline role in the war against drug smugglers in the Caribbean, they needed to practice intercepting, stopping and searching a ‘gofast’ type of craft. SMIT Bristol was asked to assist the navy and deployed one of its high powered patrol craft in the English Channel to act as the gofast. A letter of thanks from the the Royal Netherlands Navy Dear Captain Shaw, As with all good things, our training period has come to an end. We are back in the Netherlands and preparing for our next deployment (to the West Indies). I would like to thank you for the excellent support you provided during the work-up serials. Your comments have been noted and our plans have been adapted accordingly. Many thanks and with regards. Hugo Ammerlaan CDR H L J Ammerlaan RNLN CO HNLMS ‘Willem van der Zaan’ The Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, in the Caribbean, are devolved territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This means that they handle all their own governmental affairs apart from defence and foreign affairs. One frigate with a helicopter, two maritime patrol aircraft and part of the third battalion of the Marine Corps are permanently stationed in the Caribbean at Parera Navel base on Curacao. The Flag Officer Caribbean of the Royal Netherlands Navy is the sub-commander of the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force East (JIATFE), an American organisation that combats drug smuggling. approaching 40 knots, and trying to escape from the helicopter and frigate. ‘Armed intervention is authorised and the helicopter takes up position very close astern of the gofast. The idea of this manoeuvre is to put the front wheel of the helicopter onto the top of the engines of the gofast and apply pressure. This makes the gofast come off the plane to become a displacement vessel and reduces its speed. In the practice operations it is not physically done but the helicopter pilot does practice coming up very, very close to the gofast and very low to the sea at speed. ‘With this manoeuvre not stopping the gofast the frigate decides to open fire, the helicopter withdraws and two shots are fired just ahead of the gofast. When the gun is turret-mounted on a frigate moving at speed in a seaway and the target is also moving in a seaway at close to 40 knots you will appreciate the skill needed to place a shot just ahead of the gofast but close enough to intimidate the crew to stop. The SMIT crew onboard certainly appreciated that they deliberately missed! Due to the close proximity of the northern coast of South America, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are favoured targets of the drug smugglers, who use small but high powered craft, ‘gofasts’, to transport drugs into the territories, hopping from island to island and using their speed to evade capture by JIATFE. This year the current Netherlands West Indian Guard Ship is handing over her role to her replacement, HNLMS ‘Willem van der Zaan’. Captain Trevor Shaw of SMIT Bristol reports: ‘Just over the horizon HNLMS ‘Willem van der Zaan’ detects the movement of a high speed gofast and quickly gathers speed to intercept. Radio contact is established with the gofast and questions are asked. Within minutes the frigate’s helicopter is launched and is quickly circling the gofast. Clearly the gofast is not responding to the polite and reasoned requests to stop and be searched. In fact it seems to be going faster, ‘The gofast crew decide that things are getting a little hot and eventually agree to stop and be searched. The frigate comes in close to provide protection and observation, to check if anything is being thrown overboard, and sends two boats laden with armed marines to search the gofast and her crew. One set of marines board to search while the other marines lay close alongside with their guns trained on the crew. The 9 A SMIT Bristol patrol vessel assisting a rescue operation. ‘drugs’ are quickly found and the gofast and crew are arrested. ‘For us an exciting and exhilarating ‘game’ comes to an end. But it is not a game. The exercise trains young men and women of the Royal Netherlands Navy to find drugs in a hostile environment and help stop the influx of drugs into our civilised society. They learn from their ‘mistakes’ in a safe training environment, it makes them safer for the real dangerous operations, when the gofast crew will fight back with real weapons, and it makes them more effective.’ W W W. S M I T. C O M WORLD’S LONGEST CABLE-STAYED BRIDGE CHALLENGES SMIT’S ‘TAKLIFT 7’ The Rion-Antirion Bridge that is currently under construction in Greece will connect the Peloponnese with the western mainland of the country. Once finished, it will be the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge, with a length of approximately 2.3 km. After winning the contract for the tow-out and installation of the bridge’s four pierheads in 2000, SMIT is now involved in the second phase of the project, comprising heavy lift work for the installation of the pylonleg covers, the pylonhead sections from which the bridge is stayed and in total 184 bridge girders. For this task ‘Taklift 7’ was mobilised into Greece, together with the anchor-handling tug ‘Zeeleeuw’. Support pontoon ‘Tak 5’ is used for transport and storage of the 175-metre-long longboom of ‘Taklift 7’. The floating sheerlegs has performed some major lifts, one of them to a height of no less than 162 metres with a load of 185 tonnes. The lift was performed at the maximum capabilities that this sheerlegs has to offer. The lifting work is even more challenging due to the conditions onsite. The crew of ‘Taklift 7’ has to deal with fierce winds, strong currents and heavy shipping traffic. the largest ever built for a bridge. The construction involves the use of the most advanced technologies in the construction of offshore concrete platforms and long cable-stayed bridges. The completed bridge will allow traffic to cross the Corinth Gulf Strait in only five minutes, whereas it now takes 45 minutes by ferry. Due to the fact that the bridge project leaders have discovered the ease of having a floating sheerlegs onsite with the flexible capabilities and lifting speed of the ‘Taklift 7’, the sheerlegs performs far more lifts than initially planned. After completion of the bridge, ‘Taklift 7’ will assist in disassembly of the 175 metre-high tower cranes installed on each pylon. SMIT’s work on the project is anticipated to end in July 2004. The Rion-Antirion Bridge consists of five spans, with the larger spans reaching 560-metres in length. In addition to being the world’s largest cable-stayed bridge, its foundations are also ‘Taklift 7’ installs a bridge segment using its 175-metre-long longboom. TUG MAGAZINE FOUR SHEERLEGS PLACE NEW CYCLIST BRIDGE OVER RIVER ‘WAAL’ A large crowd gathered near the river Waal when four sheerlegs placed a cyclist bridge across the river on 20 March 2004. The contract for this project was awarded to SMIT Heavy Lift at the beginning of 2003 and involved the planning and execution of the lifting work. For this project four floating sheerlegs were mobilised, including the SMIT sheerlegs ‘Ajax’ and ‘Taklift 3’. Barges and tugs were also present onsite to assist the sheerlegs during the lifting and transport of the newly built bridge. Before the operation started, the bridge was positioned on the north bank of the river. The sheerlegs, held apart at a stable distance by barges that were secured between them, were brought into position along the length of the bridge and were attached to it. Because the operation would utilise the entire river breadth, shipping traffic was halted that day. The sheerlegs formation lifted the bridge, aided by an anchored winch barge and tugs to keep them in their proper positions during the bridge’s transport from the riverbank to its cross-river position. First, the weight was built up in steps of 50 tonnes, in order to allow interim checks. When the weight had been fully transferred to the sheerlegs the bridge was lifted up. The formation was then warped to its end position and the bridge was lowered to a five-centimetre distance from its supports. Couplings were installed to secure it to the existing railway bridge next to it. The sheerlegs then lowered and released the bridge onto the supports. The weight was transferred successfully and the operation was concluded. The bridge has provided the inhabitants of Nijmegen with a fast connection between the two riverbanks. The bridge slowly being transported to its final destination. TRANSPORT OF TUNNEL PARTS FOR HIGH SPEED TRAIN TUNNEL The HSL (High Speed Line) Tunnel Project that is being carried out by the Dutch ‘Bouwcombinatie Drechtse Steden’ has contracted SMIT Heavy Lift - Marine Projects to transport tunnel elements from Barendrecht to sink-down trenches in the Oude Maas and the Dordtsche Kil. The HSL Tunnels are important parts of the new HSL line between Amsterdam and Brussels. Upon arrival at the site, the tunnel elements were sunk down in custom-made trenches and secured together by the BDS combination. Every tunnel consists of seven tunnel elements built at a construction dock in Barendrecht. The transports from Barendrecht to the two end locations were performed by four 1,800 BHP tugs, a pusher tug and support vessels. The 14 elements would take one trip each. The formation had to wait until an hour before high tide to leave the construction dock because of the currents. A current-measuring vessel signalled when the vessels could leave the dock. Once the formation reached the river, it had to maintain a pre-set speed that would ensure that it arrived exactly on schedule. The timing was important because waiting in the middle of the river with the elements was intolerable. With their length of 150 metres and a beam of 17.7 metres, they would have blocked the entire river. The formation moved along at a speed of 2.5 knots (4.5 km/h), carrying a structure that would allow trains to run at a steady speed of 300 km/h. After the successful and uneventful transport of all 14 tunnel elements the HSL Tunnel Project was brought one important step closer to completion. Once completed it will provide the Netherlands with an economically vital railway connection. Manoeuvring with one of the tunnel parts. 11 W W W. S M I T. C O M DAHEJ OUTFALL PROJECT The pipeline in Dahej In Dahej, on the Golf of Cambay in Gujarat province in northwest India, industry is expanding and diversifying. An LNG terminal built by Ballast Nedam was recently put into operation there. GIDC (Gujarat Industrial Development Cooperation), which is financing and supervising the expansion, had a 40-km-long pipeline laid inland to be used by the factories in the area to drain their cooling water and other wastewater. The pipeline emerges at the coast near Dahej, where the final section was laid in the sea. Last year SMIT Marine Projects in Singapore was contracted to lay the final section. For that purpose, the ‘Container Aquarius’ was converted into a pulling barge with a capacity of 550 tonnes and moved to India. Because GIDC incurred technical difficulties onshore, however, the pipe was not laid and with the monsoon approaching the pull was cancelled. After the monsoon, improvements resumed on the equipment onshore and SMIT Marine Projects in Singapore was contracted again for the bottom pull of the pipe, which has a diameter of one metre. The ‘Smit Asiangi’ was converted into a pulling barge for the project and equipped with three lucker winches (one in reserve) on board with a total pulling capacity of 850 tonnes. The container ship was also equipped with two crawler cranes with lift capacities of 250 tonnes and 150 tonnes respectively, plus eight point mooring and considerable space for accommodating the 44 crew members. The vessel had a recreation room and several offices for GIDC and SMIT. In addition, there was a communication room with a telephone and e-mail service that was operated via the Mini-M or Iridium set for communicating with the rest of the world. There was also a local mobile telephone onboard for reaching the onshore co-ordinator, Mike Smith. The pipeline was to be laid from the beach, which under normal circumstances would not have been a problem. However, at that particular location the current is strong. During the spring tide, 6-7 knots and a drop of 8 metres were measured, which means that at low tide the beach is over 1.5 kilometres wide and at high tide the water rises to the dunes. Consequently, the ‘Smit Asiangi’ could not get too close to shore and had to secure the pipe at a distance of 525 metres by pulling a thin line across, followed by a thicker floating line after which the team was able to draw the pull pennants (98 mm in diameter) over that distance with the on-deck 60tonnes winch. Oil drums were attached to the line to keep it afloat, which meant that the team had to begin at a tactical moment, or else the current would have been too strong and would have shifted the line, making it impossible to maintain its position. All these factors significantly influenced the operation and added to the difficulty. Once the vessel had been secured in the right position the two drawing lines were put under light tension while the team waited for the green light from shore to begin the pull. The deck crew worked in 12-hour shifts to allow operations to continue round the clock. All the winches were operated locally while the pipe was being pulled and a large crew was needed, seeing that the vessel was moving out to sea during the pull. As the vessel was secured by a line between itself and the pipe with a fixed length of 550 metres, the anchors on the ‘Smit Asiangi’ were shifted simultaneously during the pull. Two anchor handlers, the ‘Smitwijs Tempest’ and the ‘Smit Sumatera’, were on hand for this purpose. Crew working on the pulling wires. Cosmopolitan crew The crew aboard the ‘Smit Asiangi’ was a cosmopolitan group, originating from the Netherlands, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Thailand and Singapore. They worked well together as a team. A catering company prepared the meals on board, which were generally thought to be good. Unfortunately, though, they forgot to load the ice cream in Singapore… In total, the pipe had to be pulled 2,700 metres to lay the end in the sea at CH 4450 from the dune edge. Once the pipe was in place, divers unfastened the pull lines on the pull head of the pipe and after a number of valves had been replaced on the pipe the demobilisation of the ‘Smit Asiangi’ could begin. The ‘Smitwijs Tempest’ towed the ‘Smit Asiangi’ to Singapore, where it was stripped of the project material. The project was completed successfully. TUG MAGAZINE NEW CONTRACTS SMIT TERMINALS IN AFRICA Following a highly successful fourth quarter in 2003, SMIT Terminals West Africa started off operations in Africa in 2004 with the award of a new two year SPM Operation and Maintenance contract in Takoradi, Ghana, by Volta River Authority (VRA). Having first secured the contract in 1997, this extension was as a result of SMIT’s continued and uninterrupted professional service at the terminal, which plays a crucial role in VRA’s and Ghana’s electricity supply commitments. The operation involves the importation of Light Crude Oil through the buoy and pipeline for use in VRA’s combined cycle thermal power station located on the beach in Aboadze. The operation is supported by the MV ‘Sea Reliance’ and on-site SMIT Representatives. One of the highlights of the end of 2003 was SMIT’s I-Tube installation contract at the Jade Platform offshore Equatorial Guinea. The function of the I-Tube is to act as a splash zone protection sleeve for an umbilical that will be installed at a later date. SMIT’s responsibilities, under the overall review of clients MEGI (Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc), included installation engineering, installation operations and project management. The 13 tonne I-Tube was installed in two 10metre lengths, which were connected below the water by SMIT divers. The Jade platform’s crane was used to lift each I-Tube length from the deck of the support vessel into the water where the load would be transferred to a specially installed winch positioned on the platform cellar deck. The stability of the transfer was maintained through the use of soft ropes and a 10-tonne hold back winch positioned on the vessel aft deck. With diver assistance and monitoring, the platform winch then pulled the I-tube up into position where it was secured to the platform legs using pre-installed clamps. Thanks to a thorough preparation process and a number of site visits, the operation went off exceptionally well and the actual installation work was completed within 24 hours. Assistance of a tanker in ‘Mosselbay’, South Africa. Further SMIT works undertaken in the Equatorial Guinea region in the last quarter included floating hose support services on the FSO ‘Magnolia’ and FPSO ‘Zafiro Producer’ for client MEGI and the UWILD (Underwater Inspection in lieu of Dry Docking) inspection of the MODU (Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit) Sedco 700 for client Transocean Sedco Forex. In Angola, joint venture company SMIT Octomar recently completed diving support services for the installation of the Kizomba, a four-legged Tension Leg Platform (TLP) positioned in 1,250 metres of water depth in Esso Exploration Angola Limited’s (Esso) Block 15 offshore Angola. Part of the SMIT dive team was based on SMIT Transport Africa’s ‘SMIT Lloyd 33’, enhancing SMIT’s ability to provide the client with a comprehensive service. SMIT Octomar’s client for this development was Heerema Marine Contractors which, in a joint venture with ABB, were responsible for the engineering, fabrication, integration, installation and commissioning of the surface wellhead platform. SMIT Octomar’s scope of Diving Support Services included the: } connection of the 8 TLP anchor tendons; } installation of hydraulic actuation tools for the clamping process; } connection of all submersible pumps for the TLP ballasting; } corrosion cap removal; } removal of actuation tools and all hydraulic connectors. This three-week, 24-hour-a-day diving operation was undertaken from the TLP platform with a 20strong SMIT dive team. The dive equipment was positioned on the TLP platform, 25 metres above the water and a Diver Launch and Recovery system was used to transfer divers between the platform and the work location. SMIT Terminals’ most recent success has been the award in early April of a Saturation Dive Intervention contract offshore Saudi Arabia, where the STWA 9 Man Saturation Dive system, ‘OCTOSAT2’, will be installed on the Client’s DPII Dive Support Vessel, ‘Aquanaut’, for pipeline support works in a 55-metre water depth. SMIT Terminals also provides maintenance services to SPM’s. 13 W W W. S M I T. C O M ‘JOHN ROSS’ BECOMES ‘SMIT AMANDLA’ To an African drum beat and with majestic Table Mountain as a backdrop, SMIT representatives and invited guests gathered to witness the signing of the South African National Pollution Prevention and Response contract between SMIT and the National Department of Transport a couple of months ago. A traditional choral group livened up the proceedings, which was also a celebration of the rechristening of the tug ‘John Ross’ to ‘Smit Amandla’, following her acquisition by joint venture company SMIT Dudula Marine and a celebration of her return to the South African ship’s registry. The National Pollution Prevention and Response contract is the backbone of SMIT’s operation in South Africa. Over its 27-year history, it is those working aboard the tug and supporting her from the office who have helped fulfil the National Department of Transport’s wish to safeguard the South African marine environment. SMIT CEO, Ben Vree, who travelled to South Africa to join in the celebrations, noted in his speech that: ‘This contract is not just about the fine tug you see berthed alongside this hall. While her capabilities are important, it is the whole package that comes with her - the infrastructure, the networks and most importantly, the SMIT people - that enables us to offer the level of service excellence that we have been able to provide over the course of the nearly three decades that this contract has been in operation.’ South African officials and SMIT employees at the ‘Smit Amandla’ rechristening ceremony. The weather was perfect, the music distinct and vibey and the celebrations began after the formal proceedings were concluded. SMIT Salvage’s General Manager in Africa, Captain Dave Main, rang the ‘John Ross’ bell for the last time and 20 year-old SMIT Deck Cadet Ryan Smith rang the ‘Smit Amandla’ bell for the first time as the South African flag was raised aboard the tug. SMIT employees and guests enjoyed sumptuous luncheon snacks and were given guided tours of the ‘Smit Amandla’, hosted by Captain Danny Betts, his Officers and Crew. During the ceremony, Ben Vree concluded by paying tribute to the people of SMIT who bring life to the contract saying: ‘I would like to pay tribute to the many Masters, Officers and Crew who have lived and worked aboard this tug over the years, for without their dedication to the job, their commitment to the tug, their professionalism, experience and pride she would not boast such a golden reputation within our global industry and in the minds of the South African public.” SMIT participates in Asia Pacific Maritime Exhibition SMIT Singapore, together with joint venture partners Asian Lift and Keppel SMIT Towage, took part in the Asia Pacific Maritime held at the Singapore Expo on 24, 25 and 26 March 2004. Singapore’s Minister for Transport, Mr Yeo Cheow Tong, officially opened the exhibition. During those three days, several thousand trade visitors attended the exhibition, some stopping at SMIT’s booth to obtain information and brochures on SMIT and to inquire about services. The ‘Smit Amandla’. During the exhibition, videos such as the ‘Raising of the Kursk’ and the salvage of the ‘Herald of Free Enterprise’, amongst others, were played for public viewing. These videos attracted considerable interest, with many viewers watching the screening from start to finish. TUG MAGAZINE SMIT WEBSHOP OPENS ITS DOORS The SMIT website has been upgraded with a webshop. As of January 2004 visitors can choose from a large selection SMIT articles. At the start site visitors could only buy books and DVD’s about the salvage of the Kursk online. But when the PR department was inundated with requests for more items, it was decided that something needed to be done to improve the situation. Shortly afterwards, the SMIT clothing line was introduced in the webshop, together with a variety of other products such as multitools, lighters and more. And for those who do not care for the fancy stuff, we still offer the very interesting Kursk book and DVD. The prices in the shop are very reasonable; most of the top-quality products are sold at cost price. The SMIT logo is modestly incorporated in the products, but is large enough to show off with. The logo can be regarded as a quality emblem, because SMIT strives to deliver only the best quality products and services to its customers. We have carefully selected a reputable Dutch bank to handle the webshop orders. The Rabobank Internet Banking System guarantees safe credit card orders for any kind of card worldwide. After your order is placed it will be delivered to your home within just a few days. It doesn´t come any easier than that. So make your way to www.smit.com and have a look at our webshop! HELPING HAND The closets and garages of many SMIT employees in the Netherlands were recently subjected to some serious spring cleaning. Together, these folks managed to fill an entire container with items intended for a SMIT project in South Africa. Shoes, coats, walking sticks, pots and pans, go-carts, highchairs - you name it, they probably got it! Joe Slovo Formal Settlement is located 7 km from SMIT’s office in Cape Town. Within this vibrant community, previously of Marconi Beam Informal Settlement, unemployment is rife and Poverty Relief a real need. SMIT was fortunate to cross paths with Stan Isaacs of Blaauwberg Development Forum (BDF) and together BDF and SMIT are working with a team of dedicated women from Joe Slovo who form the Khulanathi Project Committee. The SMIT employees assist in contributing to the ‘Kulanathi’ (a Xhosa word meaning ‘grow with us’) project. In the township, which has 20,000 residents, they started a small shop selling second-hand items collected by SMIT. The proceeds go to a soup kitchen set up next to the container. Here, the impoverished residents of the township can enjoy a complete meal for a nominal price. A large-scale collection drive was launched in Rotterdam to help our Cape Town colleagues. SMIT Salvage donated a container and the collection got underway. At first the donations trickled in, but by the end of the drive full bags were arriving. Due to the success of this project, SMIT intends to organise another drive next year. A full container was sent to South Africa. 15 W W W. S M I T. C O M SMIT BACKS PROMISING NEW PRO-ACTIVE FAST OIL RECOVERY TECHNOLOGY SMIT Salvage has recently been working closely with the developer of the new JLMD system, Jean-Luc Dabi. The French inventor devised a new proactive Fast Oil Recovery system that is meant to aid in the quick transfer of cargo from sunken vessels on the seabed. The system has received much positive media attention in and outside France and the first orders for its instalment have already been received. The JLMD system is pre-installed on tankers. The system is based on the Archimedes principle, which predicts that cargo oil, chemicals and bunker oil will drift on water. The system consists of pipes in the hold connected to on-deck easy-access points that allow salvors to connect hoses to pump water in and the cargo and/or chemicals out. The existence of these access points removes the need to drill holes in the hull, which under normal circumstances is a time-consuming activity during a salvage operation. By reducing the time necessary for the recovery of the cargo, a great deal of spillage can be prevented. By pumping water into the compartments of the vessel the oil is driven up and can consequently be collected by a supporting vessel, using pumps to remove the cargo from the compartment’s highest point. Because the JLMD system offers multiple connection points across the vessel, the highest and lowest points can always be reached, regardless of the angle at which the vessel rests on the sea floor. Another advantage of the JLMD system is that every access point is stand-alone. The advantage of this is that when one compartment is lost, for example when a vessel is torn apart, the remaining compartments can still safely be emptied. These situations occurred with the ‘Erika’ and ‘Prestige’ tanker accidents. Furthermore, when a vessel has sustained collision damage and one or more of the access points can no longer be used, the remaining ones still allow the system to be used. Whatever the position and condition of the vessel, the JLMD system always helps salvors to transfer a tanker’s cargo much faster than normal. Costs are reduced significantly because the spillage of pollutants is minimised and salvors can work faster. And due to the positive effect of JLMD on the preservation of the environment, the LPO and Bird Life International have decided to back the system. The success story continues: the JLMD system is relatively inexpensive to install on new built vessels, and existing vessels can be retrofitted at a limited cost. The system comes with full support from JLMD and SMIT, which offer ship owners and underwriters 24-hour service and feedback. Moreover, SMIT is well versed in the system and together with their unrivalled ability to offer fast salvage services worldwide, they are an excellent partner for the salvage of vessels that have the JLMD system installed. JLMD and SMIT recommend adding the system to all tankers in the future. This will greatly enhance the safety of international transport of oil and chemical cargo, which is beneficial to everyone involved. Seawater Oil/cargo Three different ways ships can sink; the system always delivers a ‘ no need to drill solution’ to get the cargo out.