Ocean Sky News

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s offshore services group has delivered Shell’s Appomattox semi-submersible Floating Production System (FPS) to the open waters of the U.S. Gulf from Kiewit Offshore Services' construction facility in Ingleside, Texas.Making the tow-out possible were Crowley’s Ocean Sky and Ocean Sun tugboats, which worked together on behalf of customer Heerema, alongside other third-party assets to deliver Appomattox.Demonstrating both nearshore and offshore capabilities, the company’s ocean class tugs safely towed the FPS through the Aransas Channel, then disconnected and provided escort services to the deep-water installation site.

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s ocean class tugboats and 455-series high-deck strength barges recently played an integral role in the tow-out and installation of Hess’ Stampede tension-leg platform (TLP) in the deep waters of the U.S. Gulf. Demonstrating both nearshore and offshore capabilities, six Crowley vessels worked together alongside other third-party assets to deliver the oversized, overweight platform, tendons and other equipment from the Kiewit facility in Ingleside, Texas, to the site of the Stampede floating production facility, about 150 miles offshore in 3,400 feet of water.

Eighty-seven vessels owned or managed by Crowley Maritime Corporation recently received the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA)’s annual Jones F. Devlin Awards in recognition of their 2016 safety records. Each year, the CSA grants Devlin Award certificates to manned merchant vessels that have operated for two or more years without incurring a Lost Time Injury (LTI), highlighting the skills and dedication of the crewmembers responsible for safe vessel operations. Crowley’s 2016 Devlin Award-worthy vessels together have achieved 670 years of service without an LTI.

Simultaneous attention to four offshore support vessels at Gibdock demonstrates that the Gibraltar yard is now a regional hub for this specialized repair, maintenance and renewal work, operating as a base for mobilisation and de-mobilisation projects. Gibdock achieved its busiest month this year in the offshore market in June 2016, pressing home its strategic location and reputation for high quality, on-time redelivery, at a time when it is updating a series of management, safety and environment accreditations. Four offshore vessels were at Gibdock at the same time, highlighting its status as the ‘go to’ regional hub for OSV, seismic survey ship, dive support vessel, anchor handling tug supply ship, pipe layer and construction support vessel work, says Managing Director Richard Beards.

Crowley Maritime Corp. announced that 65 of its vessels were recently recognized for participation in the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) program, a computer-based voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange for assistance to persons in distress at sea. The awards were given during the U.S. Coast Guard’s NAMEPA Safety at Sea Seminar dinner, an event designed to bring industry and government leaders together each year in Washington D.C. All 65 Crowley vessels were given a certificate of merit for participation, with eight company vessels receiving additional pennants for their continuous, long-term dedication to the program.

As part of the company's new vessel build program, Crowley Maritime Corp. christened the latest of its four tugboats in the ocean class series, Ocean Sun, today in Lake Charles. The ceremony served to formally welcome the fourth dynamic positioning 2 (DP2) tugboat to the company’s expanded ocean towing fleet, which has been involved in most of the major offshore oil production installations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico over the past 18 months. Todd Busch, senior vice president and general manager of Crowley’s solutions group, opened the ceremony to approximately 80 guests.

Proliferation of energy related transport continues to drive commercial U.S. As the United States aims towards energy independence by the end of this decade, domestic shipyards and vessels owners are reaping rewards from this most unexpected turn of events. Hydraulic Fracturing, or fracking, has been the main (and well publicized) culprit in the rapid turn of events. While the proliferation of gas has been widely known for years, the presence of oil, in quantity, was a pleasant…

Once again displaying their diversity for use in the domestic petroleum industry, one of Crowley’s four ocean class tugs, Ocean Sky, recently provided back-up station-keeping and holdback services during a routine blackout test of ultra-deepwater, semisubmersible oil rig Noble Jim Day in U.S. Gulf of Mexico. This Shell-leased, Noble-owned rig is currently operating in about 9,600 feet of water in the 508 section of Walker Ridge as part of the Stones Prospect. As part of routine blackout testing…

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s ocean class tugboat Ocean Sky and heavy lift barge 455-4, managed by the company’s Houston-based solutions group, a project management organization, provided support to shipbuilder Austal USA during the launch of the newly built U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), USS Montgomery, last week in Mobile, Ala. To facilitate the launch, the Montgomery was first moved from Austal’s shoreside assembly zone to the deck of Crowley’s 455-4, a feat that required hoisting the 1…

Crowley Maritime Corp. said that the third of four tugboats in the Ocean-class series, Ocean Sky, has been christened in Houston. The ceremony served to formally welcome the third dynamic positioning (DP) tugboat to the company’s expanded ocean towing fleet, which has been involved in most of the major offshore oil production installations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico over the past 16 months. Todd Busch, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Crowley’s solutions group, opened the ceremony to approximately 140 guests. Following an introduction of the tug’s crew members and a blessing of the vessel by Father Sinclair Oubre, Jennifer Legg, Crowley’s assistant treasurer and vessel sponsor, broke the ceremonial bottle of champagne across the hull of the boat.

On the heels of the recent delivery of Olympus, the largest tension-leg platform ever to be developed for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Crowley has once again shown support for the domestic petroleum industry by providing ocean towing and positioning support services for the Lucius spar in the Gulf of Mexico for Anadarko Petroleum. Three of Crowley’s ocean class tugs, Ocean Wind, Ocean Wave and Ocean Sun, towed the 605-foot long, 110-foot wide spar from Corpus Christi, Texas, through the Ingleside Channel and out to Keathley Canyon Block 875 some 300 miles offshore.

Four of Crowley Maritime Corp’s ocean class tugboats , the 'Ocean Wind', 'Ocean Wave', 'Ocean Sky' and 'Ocean Sun', recently completed the successful delivery of the offshore oil production and drilling platform, Olympus, to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The project was significant because it provided the first opportunity for all four of the company's new high-bollard-pull, ocean class tugboats to work together on any single job. The rig, owned by Royal Dutch Shell, is also considered the largest tension-leg platform ever to be developed for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

Bollinger Shipyards have delivered the DP 2 classed 'Ocean Sky', the fourth of four Ocean-class tugs for Crowley Maritime Corporation. The first two Ocean Class vessels, the Ocean Wave and Ocean Wind, classed as DP1, were delivered in Q4 2012. Ocean Sky, sister vessel to the Ocean Sun, was delivered in May 2013. At 156 feet in length, the Ocean Sky and Ocean Sun are 10 feet longer than the first two vessels and are rated at 10,880 HP. The vessels are outfitted for long-range, high-capacity ocean towing…

The third of four Ocean Class Tugs has been delivered to Crowley from Bollinger Marine Fabricators. The Ocean Sun is DP 2, measures 156 feet in length and is rated at 10,880 HP. The vessel is outfitted for long-range, high-capacity ocean towing, rig moves, platform and floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit tows, emergency response and firefighting. Sister ship Ocean Sky is preparing for sea-trials, and a summer 2013 delivery. Bollinger delivered the Ocean Class DP 1 designed Ocean Wave and Ocean Wind  4Q 2012.

Chris Bollinger sets the table for an exciting 2013 & beyond. Maritime Reporter caught up with Chris Bollinger on a recent trip to the Gulf Coast for the October 26, 2012, christening of Bollinger’s latest newbuild; the first two of four tugboats in Crowley Maritime’s ocean class series, Ocean Wave and Ocean Wind. Directly on the heels of those two hulls are the next in series; Ocean Sun and Ocean Sky. The event, attended by more than 250 guests and employees from both the Crowley and Bollinger families, underscored the upbeat mood at the diverse, Gulf Coast shipbuilding and repair group. The most visible manifestations of the recent uptick of business at Bollinger include the U.S.

Norske Shell AS award Atlantic Offshore an 18 months ERRV contract to support drilling operations. Atlantic’s Offshore Emergency Response Rescue Vessel (ERRV) ‘Ocean Sky’ will start work in accordance with the contract in mid-January 2013. The owners say the same vessel has worked for Norske Shell AS since 2000, and they are very pleased to continue this long partnership.

The first of four Crowley Maritime Corporation ocean class tugboats, Ocean Wave, completed its inaugural project earlier this month by removing a grounded containership from the northern coast of Cuba. The job is additionally significant because it utilized many of Crowley’s unique capabilities, equipment and established relationships with Cuban entities and government to complete the job quickly despite many challenges. The project’s success hinged on a coordinated and timely response from Antilliana De Salvemento, the Cuban salvage company which subcontracted Titan Salvage, Crowley’s Pompano, Fla.-based emergency response, marine salvage and wreck removal company, and Houston-based T&T Marine Salvage, to assist with the removal of the stricken containership.

Bollinger Marine Fabricators, L.L.C., Amelia, La., a Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. company, has delivered the Ocean Wave, the first of four “Ocean” class tugs, to Crowley Maritime Corporation. “We are extremely proud of our Ocean Class team and the delivery of the first in class tug, Ocean Wave, said Chris Bollinger, executive vice president of Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. The Ocean Wave is the first of the Ocean class tugs and is the first of two 10,880 BHP tugs that are featured with DP1 capabilities.

Crowley Maritime Corporation's vessel construction boom is continuing with its recent order of two additional high-bollard-pull Ocean Class tugboats from Bollinger Shipyards. The latest contract brings the number of new 10,880-horsepower tugs being constructed for Crowley to four, and adds to the more than $1b the company is investing in new tugs, high-capacity barges and articulated tug barge tank vessels (ATBs). The new tugs, Ocean Sun and Ocean Sky, will join the Ocean Wave and Ocean Wind in the Crowley fleet over the next two-and-a-half years. Ideally suited to work with Crowley's new 455 series heavy deck strength barges…

In a ceremony held at Crowley’s Jacksonville, Florida office, Bollinger executive vice president, new construction, Chris Bollinger, presented a model of the new Ocean class tug to Crowley’s, president, chairman and CEO, Tom Crowley. “We are pleased to unveil this model of the new Ocean class design for Crowley, as they expand their fleet with additional high-quality tugs to meet the needs of their clients. We look forward to the delivery and christening of the Ocean Wave and sister ships Ocean Wind…

The FleetMaster Electronic Logbook is now commercially available. It provides an easier way of handling routines and reporting onboard ships, and offers many advantages over traditional paper logbooks such as a reduction in the need for double entries, the simplification of reporting and increased support for safer ship operations. Several shipping companies took part in the pilot scheme including Bergesen dy, Geoshipping, FT. Everard, Odfjell, Sartor Shipping, closing their paper logbooks in favour of Kongsberg Maritime’s advanced paperless solution. 6 ships are currently using the FleetMaster® Electronic Logbook with several installations planned in the coming months.

Crowley Maritime Corp. announces the recent launch the Ocean Wave, the first of four Ocean Class tugboats under construction at Bollinger Shipyards in Amelia, La. The Ocean Wave and Ocean Wind are classed as Dynamic Positioning 1 (DP1) tugboats and are twin-screw, steel-hulled tugs with an overall length of 146 ft, beam of 46 ft, hull depth of 25 ft and design draft of 21 ft. The second two tugs of the class, Ocean Sky and Ocean Sun, will be classed as DP2 and will be 10 feet longer.

Bollinger Marine Fabricators, L.L.C., Amelia, La., a Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. company, has delivered the OCEAN WAVE, the first of four “Ocean” class tugs, to Crowley Maritime Corporation. “We are extremely proud of our Ocean Class team and the delivery of the first in class tug, OCEAN WAVE, said Chris Bollinger, executive vice president of Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. The OCEAN WAVE is the first of the Ocean class tugs and is the first of two 10,880 BHP tugs that are featured with DP1 capabilities.