The ship by ship

source:   http://masterok.livejournal.com

Let's add to our collection of unusual vehicles is another option spetsifichisky vessel - Semi-submersible transport ships

It all started with barges, now is an unusually large can be loaded on board and their own power to send anywhere in the world. In 1998, the German company «Dockwise Shipping» became an organization on the transport of unusual orders. Her assistants are big ships carrying goods worth many millions of dollars. For heavy loads «Mighty Servant 1" and «Mighty Servant 3" Yacht «Mighty Serv ant 2» and «Mighty Servant 4" for other equally complex work «Blue Marlin», «Black Marlin», «Transshelf» and others. This class of semi-submersible vessels built at the shipyard «Kaohsiung» in China.

Such ships rather narrow specialization. Semi-submersible transport ships are designed to move large volumes, extremely heavy loads, such as sections of offshore platforms and oil rigs, submarines, cranes, ships, piers, etc.. Claim. Moreover makes loading and unloading their own, without additional cranes.

This type vessels FLO / FLO (Float-on / Float-off). What does this mean? When a transport vessel to be immersed some oversized cargo, first through 16 seachests ballast tanks filled with water and seawater ship plunges to a depth of 26 meters. It takes about 12 hours, and during this time the tanks filled up to 77,000 tons of water. After stabilization of the marine vessel begins loading. The process of loading a very important event that requires all employees to special knowledge, prudence, utmost care and coherence of the whole team, and it can reach a very time-consuming.

With the help of tugs, cargo pushed and held above the deck, while the semi-submersible vessel did not rise to its normal position.

Then, the team of welders secures cargo to the metal deck. Verified statement of cargo divers. Then the water is pumped slowly and transport ship takes on a floating cargo. Hence the type of vessel, which translates as "lift." A ship is constructed of dense materials and has a very strong body, which allows you to make ocean crossings. For the crew on the ship provided sports and entertainment center - sauna, swimming pool, gym and so on. D. On account of the transport ships have a lot of traffic and they do not like each other.

Technical data semi-submersible vessel type «Mighty Servant»:
Length - 224.5 m;
Width - 63 m;
Draught - 13.3 m;
Flat deck area - 11227 square meters. m (178 m X 63 m);
DWT - 76061 tons;
Speed ​​- 12 knots;
Cruising range - 25,000 miles;
Powerplant - three diesel engines «Wartsila», with total capacity of 17190 HP .; Additionally equipped with two thrusters total capacity of 6035 hp .;
The crew - 55 people;




About this radar can read more HERE





In the marine company «Dockwise Shipping», which specializes in the delivery of various cargoes, there semisubmersible vessels of various types. There are sixteen. But over time, orders for transportation of oversized cargo has become much smaller because of the depression in the oil industry. Shipping company conducted a survey among its staff - what can be done to bring their ships income. Proposals are many, but the most wise become managers listened.

So one of the proposals was the transportation of yachts, mainly from the Mediterranean to the various ports of the world. To date, converted four ships that carry about 750 "expensive toys" in the year. Postage yachts from the UK to the Caribbean is $ 7,500.

The whole point is that the yacht can not cover great distances across the ocean for several reasons. First wave height can reach 12 meters, and secondly on the yacht there is no supply of fuel for long-term transition, third less wear on the engine, the fourth on the independent transition is necessary to have sufficient time, and usually it is not. It turns out that the semi-submersible vessel to use the services «Super Servant» more economical, safer, faster, and it's like to sail on the ferry. Among them «Super Servant 4". Due to the increasing number of orders, it had to be lengthened to raise the bulk. The vessel has all the conditions for a great pastime customers. By the way, the captain of the ship is a native of Moscow, Sergei Mikheyev.

Technical data transport vessel «Super Servant»:

Length - 163.5 m;

Width - 49 m;

Speed ​​- 15 knots;

The crew - 65 people;

In November 2005, the ship «Blue Marlin» left the port of Corpus Christi, Texas, to move the radar sea-based X-band in Adak, Alaska, the southern tip of South America and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The ship arrived at Pearl Harbor on 9 January 2006, having 15,000 miles. In January 2007, the ship «Blue Marlin» was hired to carry two jackup rigs, Rowan Gorilla VI and the GlobalSantaFe Galaxy II, from Halifax in the North Sea.

The five-storey "stack" of river boats and pontoons have been loaded on a ship in the port of Shanghai Nantong, after which the vessel MV Blue Marlin to hit the road and after 58 days, March 22, arrived in the Netherlands, in the port of destination.

It is worth noting that the vessel MV Blue Marlin is a ship's twin MV Black Marlin, and both vessel owned Norwegian company Offshore Heavy Transport, specializing in large-maritime transport. Naturally, the two vessels of heavy duty, 217 meters long, 42 meters wide and capable of carrying heavy and bulky loads weighing up to 56 tons, were built by the same manufacturer, the Chinese shipbuilding company China Shipbuilding Corporation.




Of course, the "stack" of river vessels is the most unusual cargo, which leads to transport vessel MV Blue Marlin. But this burden is not the heavy load, but here we show the pictures, which show the vessel MV Blue Marlin carries the entire marine drilling platform, a huge marine radar and American military missile ship USS Cole (DDG-67), which was damaged as a result of a terrorist attack at a port in Yemen.






United States Navy used the ship «Blue Marlin» for transportation destroyer USS Cole back to the United States after the ship was damaged by a terrorist suicide attack from Al-Qaeda in Aden, one of the ports. In the second half of 2003, the ship «Blue Marlin» passed reconstruction, which resulted in increased capacity and added two retractable thruster to improve maneuverability.



Here you can read more about this incident.




The ship re-entered service in January 2004.





After these improvements, the ship «Blue Marlin» conducted shipping oil platform «Thunder Horse PDQ» weighing 60,000 tons, in Corpus Christi, Texas.






Specifications vessel «Blue Marlin»:
Original specifications.
Length: 217 meters (712 feet);
Length between perpendiculars: 206.5 meters (677 feet);
Maximum width: 42 meters (138 feet);
Board height: 13.3 meters (44 feet);
Draft summer load line: 10 m (33 ft);
Load capacity: 56, 000 metric tons;
Immersion depth on deck: 10 meters (33 feet);
The free length of the deck: 178.2 and 157.2 meters (585 or 516 feet);
Free deck area: over 7215 square meters (77660 square feet);
Main engine power: 12,640 kW;
Bow thruster capacity: 2000 kW;
Cruising speed: 14.5 knots
Cruising Range: 25,000 nm
Accommodation: 55 people
Place of construction: CSBC, Kaohsiung



In July 2005, the ship «Blue Marlin» transported refinery «Snohvit», bringing it from a construction site in Cádiz to Hammerfest, the journey lasted for eleven days. This became the basis for the transportation of one of the subjects of the television show «Extreme Engineering» on the TV channel «Discovery Channel», as well as the TV show «Mega Movers», which was published on the channel «History Channel».



After 2004 (after improvements)
Depth: 13.3 meters (44 feet);
Maximum draft at the exit from the port: 10 meters (33 feet);
Maximum draft of immersion: 29.3 meters (96 feet);
Deck size: 63 × 178,2 meters (207 × 584,6 ft);
The total deck area: 11,227 square meters (120,850 square feet);
Exit movers: 4500 kW each.




























But they are going to build:-)