(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Bryan Blair/Released)

(May 21, 2013) – Combined Task Force 521 conducts convoy escort operations with a large natural gas tanker during International Mine Countermeasures Exercise 2013 (IMCMEX). IMCMEX 13 includes navies from more than 40 countries and will exercise a wide spectrum of defensive operations designed to protect international commerce and trade.

(May 19, 2013) – (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Bryan Blair/Released)

Lt. Bryan Wolfe, operations officer for CTF 521, speaks with the commanding officer of a large natural gas tanker, about plans for an upcoming mission during International Mine Countermeasures Exercise 2013 (IMCMEX 13).

Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Triple-E Class Ship, Photo by John Konrad

Erly this month gCaptain was invited to DSME, the world’s second largest shipyard, for a behind-the-scenes tour of the world’s largest ship, the mighty Maersk Triple-E.

Maersk has the option to buy 20 of these impressive 400-meter (1,312′), 18,000 TEU vessels, but the first, the M/V Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, has already been launched with delivery scheduled for June 28th, 2013.

Until the naming ceremony vessel, Maersk will not comment on those big black letters painted on the bow and stern but we think it’s safe to say that the ship is named for Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, son of the Danish shipping magnate Arnold Peter Møller and his Kentucky-born wife Chastine Mc-Kinney. Mærsk Møller became a partner of father’s company in 1940, but soon fled to New York to escape the Nazi occupation of Denmark. That same year he married Emma Marie Neergaard Rasmussen, namesake for the the M/V Emma Maersk, the first of the company’s E-Class of container vessels.

Among Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller’s many accomplishments include his long tenure on IBM’s board of directors, a knighthood and a long and productive life. In fact, right up to his passing last year at the age of 98, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller was often seen walking up the stairs to his office on the 6th floor of Maersk headquarters.

The name seems appropriate for this well built, larger than life, vessel.

Triple-E Class Shipyard Photos

Video Gallery – Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Timelapse Of Construction

Click here to view the embedded video.

Infographic

Maersk Infographic of Triple-E class vessel

Artist Rendition of M/V Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller

Artist rendition of Maersk Triple-E Class Vessel

Image courtesy Christopher Dale

Former shipmate Christopher Dale took this photo the other day while working at Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) in Okpo, Korea.

The crane barge in the photo is the Daewoo 3600. Built in 2006, it is the largest such floating crane barge in Korea with a lifting capacity of 3600 tons.

Image (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

While in Singapore last month, I had the unique opportunity to tour Keppel FELS, one of the world’s most prolific and capable shipyards.

Over the past decade, Keppel FELS and its network of offshore yards around the world have successfully delivered almost half of the world’s newbuild jackup rigs and semisubmersibles.  This year, they have already delivered 6 jackups with another 14 scheduled to be launched between now and the end of the year.

Since the beginning of 2013, Keppel FELS has been awarded the following contracts:

• New build KFELS B Class jackup rig from Star Drilling Pte Ltd
• Upgrading of the semisubmersible ENSCO 5006 for Ensco PLC (Ensco)
• Upgrading of the semisubmersible Ocean Patriot for Diamond Offshore
• (4) New Build KFELS B Class jackup rigs from Grupo R
• KFELS B Class jackup rig from Ensco
• KFELS B Class jackup rig from Falcon Energy Group

Keppel FELS’ order book, as of 2 May 2013, consists of:

• 28 jackup rigs
• 1 Semisubmersible Drilling Tender (SSDT)
• 2 floating accommodations vessels

On the 9th of April, one of ABS’ surveyors, Sean Danger McKay Holt, escorted me in to Keppel FELS’ yard to witness the launching of the Covadonga, the world’s newest KFELS B-class jack-up.   Upon arrival, the workers were already working in teams to knock away the beams that supported the rig on the ways.  After all the beams had been knocked out, the hook that held the rig from sliding toward the water was quickly disengaged, and the rig was soon floating out into the harbor.  

Watch the video here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Rig Particulars:

• Owner: CP Latina
• Price: 200 million ( ball park figure)
• Leg length: 517 ft
• Compliment:120
• Length – 234 ft
• Width -208 ft
• Depth at side -25ft
• GT- 10,352
• Flag- Panama

ABS Surveyors play a critical role in shipyards like Keppel while maintaining a delicate balance of client relations with both the shipyard and ship/rig-owner, but also ensuring integrity in adherence to applicable rules and regulations.

While touring the yard with Sean, I asked what he enjoyed most about working at ABS, he noted:

“Since getting out of the military, it was important to find an organization whose mission I believed in. As well, when I showed up to Keppel and was getting dialed in, one of the Korean surveyors had helped allocated several required items for me.  When I asked how much I owed him, he simply shook his head and said, “ABS”, as if he just said “Family.”

I love that.

I work harmoniously on the front line with surveyors & auditors from Singapore, Japan, China, Vietnam, UK, Brazil, and that’s just at this yard. Plus, I’ve have the opportunity to live all around the world like James Bond. It’s like the United Nations, but it actually works and we get along. There are countless challenges here; you could work your whole life for this company and still be learning something totally new.”

Thanks to the behind-the-scenes coordination work by my friends at ABS, I was also given the rare opportunity to take photos while touring Keppel.  The following are my images (click for larger):

Plasma cutters enable clean, perfectly-cut steel plate, ready to be welded. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

(c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Electromagnets on gantry cranes move plates of steel around. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Zoomed out and in color… (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

There’s very little automation in shipbuilding. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Safety First at Keppel FELS. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Mobile cranes are one of the most distinctive features of a shipyard. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

The Asian Hercules crane barge has a 1600MT lifting capacity. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

The ABS Surveyor team in Singapore! Awesome group of guys doing great work. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Praveen is also a HUGE gCaptain fan. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Praveen’s mustache = awesome. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Masatsugu Nasu, an ABS surveyor from Japan. HUGE gCaptain fan. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Checking out things on the driller’s cyberchair (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Sean Holt can do 1000 pullups in a row while wearing his ABS coveralls. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Sean Holt, an ABS surveyor and US Merchant Marine Academy 2003 grad. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Fisheye view looking up the derrick on a jack-up. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Looking up the derrick on a jackup. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Iain Nuttall, an ABS surveyor from Great Britain. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Teamwork! (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

From FPSOs, to tankers, to jack-ups, Keppel builds them all. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

(c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Launching the Covadonga. (c) R.Almeida/gCaptain

Alex Talavera, Principal Surveyor at ABS in Singapore (L) and Rob Almeida (R)

(Feb. 24, 2013) Mine countermeasure ships USS Pioneer (MCM 9) and USS Warrior (MCM 10) rest atop merchant vessel Super Servant III as it slowly rises to the surface during a heavy lift operation. U.S. Navy Photo.

Today’s ship photos actually come to us from back in February when the mine countermeasure ships USS Pioneer (MCM 9) and USS Warrior (MCM 10) were loaded onto Dockwise’s heavy lift ship, Super Servant III, after successfully completing eleven-month deployments to the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility.

Mine countermeasures ships USS Warrior (MCM 10) and USS Pioneer (MCM 9) undergo the sea-fastening aboard the heavy lift ship Super Servant III. U.S. Navy

USS Pioneer Returns to San Diego

The U.S. Navy said Thursday that the USS Pioneer arrived safely at Naval Base San Diego on May 5 aboard the Super Servant III.

While in the U.S. 5th Fleet, Pioneer conducted mine warfare operations and exercises, including the first International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX) September 2012, and training mineshape recovery operations in the Gulf of Aden.

“They were tremendous ambassadors. In their execution of IMCMEX ’12, they not only integrated smoothly with partner nations at sea, but during the in-port phase, they hosted the entire international officer delegation to discuss U.S. mine warfare capabilities,” said Mucklow. “It was truly an outstanding deployment by an outstanding MCM crew.”

Pioneer will remain in San Diego to prepare to meet 3rd Fleet AOR mine warfare mission requirements.

The Warrior was delivered to her new homeport, Sasebo, Japan, as the replacement for the decommissioned USS Guardian (MCM 5).

The Pioneer and Warrior, along with the USS Sentry (MCM 3) and USS Devastator (MCM 6), were transported from San Diego to Bahra in June 2012 to support a U.S. Central Command request for additional MCM assets in the 5th Fleet. Sentry and Devastator remain deployed.

Long exposure going under the Fred Hartmann Bridge on the Houston Ship Channel. Image by Lou Vest/Oneighteen

See more of his fantastic photography on his Flickr Page

(c) REUTERS/Mohamed Al Hwaity

A fisherman pulls in his net as the 49k DWT product tanker, Alnasl Star transfers cargo at the northwestern Saudi Arabia port city of Duba on 20 April 2013.

The Lloyd’s Register-classed Alnasl Star is owned by UAE-headquartered Vela International Marine and was built in 2005 by Daewoo.

Image: CIMC Raffles

Image: CIMC Raffles

In December 2012, CIMC delivered the Explorer Lifter, a deep-water semi-submersible crane & accommodation vessel destined for the Gulf of Mexico.

The bow of the mine countermeasure ship Ex-Guardian (MCM 5) is removed by the crane vessel M/V Jascon 25 during operations March 26. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kelby Sanders)

SULU SEA – U.S. Navy and contracted salvage personnel embarked aboard M/V Jascon 25 have begun dismantling and sectioning the hull of the grounded mine countermeasures ship Ex-Guardian. The bow section was safely lifted and removed from Tubbataha Reef to an awaiting barge, March 26.

This work has been accomplished in close coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park. The remaining three sections will be removed over the coming days as weather and safety permits.

“Preparing the ship for this sectioning has been extremely challenging. We have had to painstakingly clear about a two foot path inside the ship, removing everything that is in our way,” said Supervisor of Salvage, Capt. Mark Matthews. “Once the path is clear, the hull cutting is done manually by Navy divers and salvage contractors using chainsaws and reciprocating saws, and some of this cutting is underwater using hydraulically driven tools.”

Since the Guardian’s grounding, the Navy has been working meticulously to salvage any reusable equipment and remove any potentially harmful materials including petroleum-based products and human wastewater.

“The lifting of the first large hull section was a significant accomplishment. Each of these sections weigh about 250 tons,” said Matthews.

No fuel has leaked since the grounding and all of the approximately 15,000 gallons aboard Guardian were safely transferred off the ship.

“We continue to work closely with the Philippine Coast Guard, Navy, and Tubbataha Reef Park Rangers, and we are grateful for the support and advice we have received to remove Guardian and minimize further damage to the reef,” said Matthews.

There were no injuries when Guardian ran aground Jan. 17 following a port visit to Subic Bay while in transit to Indonesia.

Along with the Jascon 25, the USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50), the SMIT Borneo, the Trabajador, the Intrepid and the Archon Tide remain on scene supporting the salvage operation.

Via US Navy 7th Fleet

Image (c) REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

A ship owned by Bonny Gas Transport (BGT) berths near the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas company (NLNG) near Finima village.  Image taken during an aerial tour by the Royal Dutch Shell.  BGT is a joint-venture of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Royal Dutch Shell, Total S.A. and Eni.

The ink is likely still wet on an agreement that has likely just been signed between NLNG and South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries and Hyundai to acquire six LNG carriers.  Both Hyundai and Samsung say the deal is conditional on NLNG securing finance.