Beau Bisso News

BISSO MARINE has acquired offshore pipelay industry's stalwart derrick/pipelay barge GLOBAL IROQUOIS. The 400 foot x 100 foot x 30 foot laybarge has performed pipelay operations worldwide and will be renamed BISSO IROQUOIS. The central part of the barge’s substantial station keeping system are the ten single drum winches with 320 kips of pulling force and 744 kip holding force each. Each single drum winch holds 5,300 feet of 2.5 inch wire rope. The barge’s main tub mounted dynamic revolving crane has a 250 ton capacity and the deck crane is a Manitowoc 4100W Series 2.

Nearly two years ago, the Obama Administration tightened rules for removing “idle iron” – old oil platforms and pipelines – and on plugging unused wells in the Gulf of Mexico. That September 2010 move was part of a federal crackdown on deepwater oil and gas operations following the 2010 BP spill. Since then, heavy-lift companies have continued to rid the Gulf of unused structures and other firms have positioned themselves for that work. Under the 2010 rules, wells that hadn't been used for five years were to be abandoned or “zonally isolated” within three years after Oct. 15, 2010.

Bisso Marine, a provider of energy and maritime support services, announced that Taylor King is the winner of the annual Bisso Marine Safety Award Drawing. King was selected from a pool of 220 eligible employees. To be eligible for the drawing, an employee must be employed by the company for the entire calendar year without having had an accident, safety infraction, negative performance review or disciplinary write-up. King was given the choice of selecting a Mako 1901 bay boat, a Nitro Z-7 bass boat or a Toyota Tundra double cab pickup truck.

Bisso Marine, a provider of energy and maritime support services, successfully buried a pipeline 16 feet below the hardened seabed of the Gulf of Mexico. Working in 54 feet of water, the crew of the DLB Big Chief installed a hot tap and used one of the company’s three 2,700 gpm@1,150 psi Super Jet Pump Systems to bury 13,893 feet of pipeline 10 miles off Galveston Island. The pipeline burial was especially challenging because of the hard shear strength of the soil on the seafloor. A vane shear test showed the soil strength at 4,500 psf.

Harvey Bisso Subsea has launched operations to provide subsea services to the energy and maritime industries. The centerpiece of the venture is a new, fully-classed 12-man Saturation Diving System with a working depth of 1,000 feet. The portable SAT system will be deployed from the Harvey Discovery, a 265 x 58-ft, DP2 certified multi-purpose support vessel outfitted with a 65-ton crane and moon pool. The vessel provides accommodations for up to 53. The new SAT System features a gas reclaim system, which allows expelled gases to be circulated and recycled.

Bisso Marine, provider of energy and maritime support services, has acquired a 12-man portable Saturation Diving System. The new SAT System has a working depth of 1,000 feet (300 meters). It features a dual-lock, six-man deck decompression chamber, a 12-man launchable flyaway hyperbaric rescue chamber, a dual-lock, six-man come-out chamber and a three-man diving bell. “This SAT System expands our working depth and fully maximizes our bottom time, allowing us to provide maximized safety and an even greater level of diving services to our clients worldwide…

Bisso Marine has added the D/B Bisso 350 derrick barge to its expanding fleet. Built to service the offshore industry, the revolving D/B Bisso 350 will be used for salvage, offshore construction and diving operations. The vessel has three load blocks: 350 mt (385 st), 150 mt (165 st) and 12 mt (13 st). “The D/B Bisso 350 is a solid addition to our fleet, increasing our capabilities and expanding the level of our services,” said President and Chief Executive Officer W.A. “Beau” Bisso IV. The vessel is eight-point moored and has dimensions of 250 x 78 x 18 ft. It can accommodate 52 people.

Bisso Marine, provider of energy and maritime support services, has expanded its growing fleet by purchasing a third pipelay barge. The former G/P 37 was purchased from Global Industries and will be renamed the L/B Warrior Chief. “The L/B Warrior Chief adds depth and capacity to our experienced fleet, allowing us to provide an even greater level of quality and service,” said W.A. “Beau” Bisso IV, president and chief executive officer of the company. The 188 by 60 by 14-foot L/B Warrior Chief can accommodate 65 people and features a 40 ft diameter helideck.

T&T Bisso salvaged a 2,000-ton inland drill barge capsized by Hurricane Gustav in Southern Louisiana. T&T Bisso salvage engineers designed a method to right and refloat the inland drill barge using four derrick barges and a pull barge. “The rig sustained minimal damage from the hurricane so it was imperative that we use extreme care in salvaging the barge to mitigate further damage,” said W.A. “Beau” Bisso IV, president and chief executive officer of the company. The four derrick barges…

Bisso Marine salvage crews raised M/V Mackerel from the Mississippi River. The vessel capsized and sank as it was entering the river from the Algiers Lock. A severe weather front precluded any safe operation from commencing, immediately. The salvage vessels - derrick Ajax and tugboats Tyler and Beau Bisso - stood by, waiting for weather conditions to improve. The actual salvage operation took eight hours to complete.

Bisso Marine Company, Inc., has successfully corrected the 12 degree list of USS Drum at the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, in Mobile, Ala. The list developed when the 308 ft. diesel electric submarine was driven aground during Hurricane Georges last year. The vessel had been closed to the public since the storm. Bisso Marine divers located three H-beam piles that were previous moorings for the vessel under and against the submarine. The piles were cut off four to five ft. below the natural bottom, and removed from under the sub. Derrick Barge Ajax, a salvage pump barge and tug Beau Bisso were mobilized from New Orleans for the operation. Washing mud and pumping of USS Drum's ballast tanks was coordinated with an unusually high tide to bring the vessel to an upright position.