Kulluk Salvage Operation

[Kennebec Captain]

This topic of this tread is discussion of the salvage of the Kulluk.

Kulluk Response Ramps Up - a gcaptain

the players are here (from gcaptain):

• Aiviq, primary anchor handling vessel
• Arctic Endeavor, oil spill response vessel
• Nanuq, oil spill response vessel
• Sisuaq, oil spill response vessel
• John Brix, tug
• Perseverance, tug/supply vessel
• Endurance, tug
• Ocean Wave, tug
• Vigilant, Tug
• Warrior, tug
• Corbin Foss, tug
• Point Oliktok, tug
• Guardsman, tug
• Lauren Foss, tug
• DBL 79, oil barge
• Klamath, barge
• Barge 180-1
• Arctic Seal, landing craft
• Nunaniq, landing craft and supply vessel

Talk of putting a wire on the Kulluk here

In a statement emailed at 9:40 a.m. Saturday, the joint industry-government incident command said recovery teams planned to hook a main tow line to the drill vessel in preparation of attempts to pull it free from the gravel and rock it was resting in.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/01/05/274318...#storylink=cpy

I know there some Aiviq / Kulluk threads here already but I know there's lots of interest in the salvage itself.


The blow by blow of the loss of the tow along with the second guessing is at MV Aiviq Breaks Down in Alaska While Towing Shell’s Arctic Drilling Rig

After the tow went aground the tread is Kulluk Grounding which includes more second guessing and speculation about the condition of the tow and salvage plans.

And for some trash talking about Shell and Nobel there is Is Shell Ready for Arctic Exploration?

[Mikey]

The tow plan... minus the details of course. I'm listening on the conference call now they said they did not tow today and are not giving details on the tow itself.

Aiviq will do the tow. Awaiting a piece of tow equipment is why they didn't do it today. They will not lighten the kulluk, not remove fuel.



Unified Command update:

January 5, 2013

ANCHORAGE, AK – Unified Command (UC) today plans to hook a main tow line to the Kulluk to test capabilities in preparation for recovery operations of the drilling unit. This plan will depend heavily on weather and tidal considerations.
The UC also plans to deploy boom, as a precautionary measure, to Kodiak Island, with special attention being paid to salmon streams connecting to Ocean Bay.
Unified Command has developed a wildlife protection plan to be used in the event that wildlife in the area is impacted during the recovery. They have activated International Bird Rescue to assist in bird rescue programs should their expertise be required. In addition, Protected Species Observers are being deployed on-scene.
As previously stated, all plans rely on weather and tidal conditions.
The Kulluk remains upright and stable with no reports of sheen in the vicinity. Salvage teams conducted an additional survey confirming all fuel tanks remain intact. Throughout all operations the safety of the responders will continue to be the top priority.

[c.captain]

Really, they expect it will pull off that easily? Seems way too optimistic but I guess it might although I would expect that they would need to deballast/dewater the rig requiring portable gensets and pumps, perhaps remove other weight aboard, rig beach gear to keep it from going higher up when you do, weld on lots and lots of strengthened points to hook up all those wires to, possibly need to remove lots of rock and gravel out of the tow path and out of the moonpool. And this is all without the hull fractured. If there's cracks, you have to weld lots of straps to keep them from getting larger and spreading after she starts to work when afloat.

but why I am I writing any of this? Obviously, I don't know fuck all about anything. In fact I am a 13 year old girl who hopes to go to Kings Point someday so I can be a princess there!


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[c.captain]

Fuck! With so many boats in Kodiak all at once, I wished I owned a bar in that town! From what I hear when the fleet was in Dutch, they damned near drunk the town dry. Probably Unisea's biggest profit center for the whole summer! Dick Pace's Grand Delusion Hotel finally paid off BIG! Too bad he wasn't around to see it reality.

[Mikey]

They didn't give much details in the call but it sounds like they are planning on using the Aiviq to just tow it off the beach. They said there is some water in the hull but don't believe its from any kind of breach.

[USMM707]

They scrambled nearly every available tug with suitable horsepower on the West Coast to go up there.

[tugsailor]

I think its going to take a lot more than a few tugs to pull KULLUK off.

[Kennebec Captain]

Last Update: 400 AM AKST SAT JAN 5 2013

Zone Forecast: Shuyak Island To Sitkinak (PKZ132)

Today: E wind 25 kt becoming SW 30 kt in the afternoon. Seas 10 ft. Rain.

Tonight: W wind 25 kt in the evening becoming variable 10 kt. seas 11 ft.

Sun: E wind 25 kt becoming S 30 kt in the afternoon. Seas 10 ft. Rain and snow.

Sun Night: SW wind 30 kt. Seas 17 ft.

Mon: W wind 35 kt. Seas 15 ft.

Tue: W wind 30 kt. Seas 15 ft.

Wed: SW wind 25 kt. Seas 14 ft.

Tides: Port Hobron, Sitkalidak Island, AK StationId: 9457479

[c.captain]

Last Update: 400 AM AKST SAT JAN 5 2013

Zone Forecast: Shuyak Island To Sitkinak (PKZ132)

I will say that they have been lucky that after the grounding of the KULLUK, the weather has been pretty benign all said. Had those wicked storms not hit like a string of freight trains rolling through AIVIQ would be almost all the way across by now. The thing is you don't do light on gear and hope for easy weather but rig to the max praying you don't get flattened when you tow in wintertime Alaska.

[Kennebec Captain]

I think its going to take a lot more than a few tugs to pull KULLUK off.

I don't know anything about this but I'm not going to let that stop me.....

Smit has experience pulling vessels off the beach.
They may have a table with coefficient of friction based on the nature of the bottom or some such
They can estimate the weight holding it on the beach from the loss of draft
The beach there might be steep, in this case the distance to pull off would be less.

They may have an estimate of how many tons bollard pull is needed to pull it off.

On the other hand, even if they know they likely can't pull if off with just tugs what do they have to lose by trying? Meanwhile they can keep working on plan B.

Likely someone else knows a thing or two about this.

My 2 cents

K.C.

[tugsailor]

Smit is topnotch --- no doubt about that.

As I understand it, salvage at that level is supported with calculations by engineers and naval architects who build detailed computer models.

I suspect that 40 foot seas probably lifted KULLUK inshore quite a bit beyond her lightship draft. I doubt that they can offload enough to lighten KULLUK anywhere near enough to float her again.

It makes sense to be able to get a good strain on KULLUK and be ready to pull just in case mother nature floats her again. The next storm could be SE and at high tide. Aftershocks from that 7.5 quake that happened yesterday might produce a small tsunami that might float KULLUK again.

[renoun]

I'm not shocked that the unified command considered the risks of a spill during a lightering operation (from a vessel that apparently isn't leaking oil) and didn't discourage an initial brute force attempt without removing the fuel. We have to assume that there are some brains somewhere suggesting that a big pull might work and a single vessel pull apparently is feasible during the current weather window. I'd think that they could manage a multi-tug effort but what the hell do I know.

[wetback]

Really, they expect it will pull off that easily? Seems way too optimistic but I guess it might although I would expect that they would need to deballast/dewater the rig requiring portable gensets and pumps, perhaps remove other weight aboard, rig beach gear to keep it from going higher up when you do, weld on lots and lots of strengthened points to hook up all those wires to, possibly need to remove lots of rock and gravel out of the tow path and out of the moonpool. And this is all without the hull fractured. If there's cracks, you have to weld lots of straps to keep them from getting larger and spreading after she starts to work when afloat.

but why I am I writing any of this? Obviously, I don't know fuck all about anything. In fact I am a 13 year old girl who hopes to go to Kings Point someday so I can be a princess there!


.

Okay Captain Obvious!!!

[c.captain]

Okay Captain Obvious!!!

I am wondering sir if I can ask why exactly you picked that username out of many possibilities? just wondering is all...

[USMM707]

Doesn't look good with the major low heading toward the gulf.

[c.captain]

In a confidential secret leak from the Unified Command Center this evening states that Shell has had a massive airlift of magical fairy dust flown in from Disney World and plans to do an overflight in the morning to spray it on the rig. Glynda (the good witch of the North) has also flown in to Kodiak on a chartered jet and will personally direct the release of the dust. The tension in the nerve center of the salvage operation is palpable tonight. Is it going to be enough dust for the job? Engineering calculations are that at least 2.62mt of dust must land on the decks of the rig in order for it to float above the level of the sea.

Codenamed "Operation Bibbity Boddity Boo". it is expected to take place as first light. Heavy drinking is expected to take place in Kodiak overnight in preparation for tomorrow!

Standby this station for breaking developments are they come in!



Until then. this is ace reporter Kermit D. Frog reporting from Koosbayn Island, Alaska



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[AHTS Master]

It will be pulled off the rocks with no problems at all. This is my EXPERT opinion.

[seacomber]

At some point with temperatures dropping the northern Alaska and Canada, a high pressure system will move south into the GOA and it could bring up to a two week window of cold northern winds.

[O Hook]

I'm in the camp that the heavy seas that drove the rig onshore put it on there for a long time. Unified Command has to give it a try pulling it off. What is to be lost from such an effort?
I'm waiting for the Old Harbor Council to ask Shell to just start drilling right here. It's going to be a long time before it is drilling anyplace else.

[Kennebec Captain]

The direction and amount of force on the Kulluk is a sum of the various vectors forces acting on it. Putting a 20,000 hp vector out to sea will at least help it from moving further up the beach. It might even start working off as the swells act on it. Better to have her working off then working on till more bollard pull arrives.

As far as pulling off vs pumping fuel first. Pumping off has risks as well. I don't how much swell is in there but it could be risky running hoses across.

K.C.