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Displaying items by tag: Giant Oil Rig

#GiantOilRig – A giant oil-rig the Blackford Dolphin, which was initially only supposed to be in Belfast for a six-week refurbishment, is to finally depart Belfast today after six months dominating the city's skyline.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie,  the platform is one of the world's biggest such structures, the 260ft rig, that sailed into the harbour before Christmas, will be heading back to Norway at a snail's pace after her multi-million pound refit at Harland & Wolff, which employed some 400 workers on the project.

The contract price for the work is thought to be over £100m.

While the initial work schedule was only supposed to take 60 days, following the discovery of some structural defects on the rig when it came into the world's largest dock, the structure underwent months more repairs by welders, electricians, painters and engineers from the UK, Poland and Portugal.

For much more detail on this story, The Belfast Telegraph has a report HERE.

 

Published in Belfast Lough

#GiantOilRig- Work is now nearing completion at Harland & Wolff which has been carrying out specialised emergency work on one of the world's biggest oil platforms, the Irish News has confirmed.

Depending on the tides in Belfast lough, the 360-foot Blackford Dolphin oil drilling rig - which as previously reported on Afloat.ie, has been in dry dock on Queen's Island since before Christmas - will finally head for home in Norway.

The multi-million-dollar renovation project on the rig, a vast industrial behemoth which has dominated the titanic Quarter skyline for months, was meant to take just 60 days. For more on the story click here.

Published in Belfast Lough

#GiantOilRig – A giant oil rig, initially set for a whistle-stop 60-day renovation project in Belfast, will now see the Blackford Dolphin remain in the city's docks until June.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Blackford Dolphin, a 360ft high structure sailed into the Harland & Wolff shipyard in early December from Brazil for a refit.

In March, following the discovery of the need for additional "emergent" work, the rig's owners Dolphin Drilling told the Norwegian Stock Exchange that the work would continue until April.

However, that deadline has now been extended again for almost another two months – and the race is on to finish the work. For more on this story, the Belfast Telegraph reports.

 

Published in Belfast Lough

#OilRig – The Newsletter reports that the industrial behemoth that is an oil rig at Harland & Wolff, is set to remain as part of the skyline of Belfast for a number of weeks to come.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the enormous Blackford Dolphin drilling rig which made its way from Brazil last year, is currently in dry dock at Harland and Wolff as part of a re-fit project involving more than 1,000 workers.

The original contract to complete the work began last year and had run its course by around mid-February. However, she is still in the yard, and likely to stay put for at least another month. To know why, the Newsletter has more on this story.

 

Published in Belfast Lough

Marine Institute Research Vessel Tom Crean

Ireland’s new marine research vessel will be named the RV Tom Crean after the renowned County Kerry seaman and explorer who undertook three major groundbreaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century which sought to increase scientific knowledge and to explore unreached areas of the world, at that time.

Ireland's new multi-purpose marine research vessel RV Tom Crean, was delivered in July 2022 and will be used by the Marine Institute and other State agencies and universities to undertake fisheries research, oceanographic and environmental research, seabed mapping surveys; as well as maintaining and deploying weather buoys, observational infrastructure and Remotely Operated Vehicles.

The RV Tom Crean will also enable the Marine Institute to continue to lead and support high-quality scientific surveys that contribute to Ireland's position as a leader in marine science. The research vessel is a modern, multipurpose, silent vessel (designed to meet the stringent criteria of the ICES 209 noise standard for fisheries research), capable of operating in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Tom Crean is able to go to sea for at least 21 days at a time and is designed to operate in harsh sea conditions.

RV Tom Crean Specification Overview

  • Length Overall: 52.8 m
  • Beam 14m
  • Draft 5.2M 

Power

  • Main Propulsion Motor 2000 kw
  • Bow Thruster 780 kw
  • Tunnel thruster 400 kw

Other

  • Endurance  21 Days
  • Range of 8,000 nautical miles
  • DP1 Dynamic Positioning
  • Capacity for 3 x 20ft Containers

Irish Marine Research activities

The new state-of-the-art multi-purpose marine research vessel will carry out a wide range of marine research activities, including vital fisheries, climate change-related research, seabed mapping and oceanography.

The new 52.8-metre modern research vessel, which will replace the 31-metre RV Celtic Voyager, has been commissioned with funding provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine approved by the Government of Ireland.

According to Aodhán FitzGerald, Research Vessel Manager of the MI, the RV Tom Crean will feature an articulated boom crane aft (6t@ 10m, 3T@ 15m), located on the aft-gantry. This will be largely used for loading science equipment and net and equipment handling offshore.

Mounted at the stern is a 10T A-frame aft which can articulate through 170 degrees which are for deploying and recovering large science equipment such as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV’s), towed sleds and for fishing operations.

In addition the fitting of an 8 Ton starboard side T Frame for deploying grabs and corers to 4000m which is the same depth applicable to when the vessel is heaving but is compensated by a CTD system consisting of a winch and frame during such operations.

The vessel will have the regulation MOB boat on a dedicated davit and the facility to carry a 6.5m Rigid Inflatable tender on the port side.

Also at the aft deck is where the 'Holland 1' Work class ROV and the University of Limericks 'Etain' sub-Atlantic ROV will be positioned. In addition up to 3 x 20’ (TEU) containers can be carried.

The newbuild has been engineered to endure increasing harsher conditions and the punishing weather systems encountered in the North-East Atlantic where deployments of RV Tom Crean on surveys spent up to 21 days duration.

In addition, RV Tom Crean will be able to operate in an ultra silent-mode, which is crucial to meet the stringent criteria of the ICES 209 noise standard for fisheries research purposes.

The classification of the newbuild as been appointed to Lloyds and below is a list of the main capabilities and duties to be tasked by RV Tom Crean:

  • Oceanographic surveys, incl. CTD water sampling
  • Fishery research operations
  • Acoustic research operations
  • Environmental research and sampling operation incl. coring
  • ROV and AUV/ASV Surveys
  • Buoy/Mooring operations