Stinger News

Offshore installation contractor Allseas has made progress on the installation of the pipeline for Santos’ Barossa Gas Export Pipeline (GEP) project offshore Australia.Allseas’ Audacia pipelay vessel has installed her largest ever PLET in S-mode, concluding several years of in-house engineering, fabrication and testing, the Swiss-based contractor said.Due to the weight of the pipeline end termination structure, Allseas’ production crew had to install it separately to the connector head.Audacia vessels is being supported with four other vessels - Fortitude…

TDI-Brooks increases its vessel capacity by adding a 75-meter DP2 vessel,  R/V NAUTILUS to its fleet, a ship that can offer a variety of offshore assistance with subsea services, construction aid, exploration, production, ROV and diving support, and scientific marine research and survey mapping, along with military support.This vessel is currently about 60% through its retrofit period in Las Palmas, scheduled to complete its shipyard period in late September 2023 and then transit to Trinidad for several geotechnical coring projects.

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract award with Polish shipbuilder Remontowa Shipbuilding SA (RSB) to supply three shipsets of Kongsberg Hugin Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) systems and related HiPAP positioning and communication systems for three newbuild warships for the Polish Navy.The total contract value exceeds €10 million, with the Kongsberg equipment planned for the next three ships in the Kormoran II Mine-Countermeasures (MCM) vessel program (#4, #5, and #6).These three ships will be delivered between 2026 and 2027.

Edward Heerema is founder and president of Allseas, which brought the world’s largest construction vessel, Pioneering Spirit, to the market. The company, which also brought innovation to the pipelay sector, has added its latest trick to Pioneering Spirit – its jacket lift system. But Allseas is also targeting deepsea mining and has its sights on the offshore wind market. Elaine Maslin caught up with Edward Heerema to find out more.The first time I met Edward Heerema was at the company’s offices in Delft, in the Netherlands.

The sources and impact of sea-based marine litter form the focus of a new report by the Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), an advisory body to the United Nations sponsored by 10 UN entities. The report outlines the various sources of marine litter and the impact and assesses the current availability of data and identifies knowledge gaps for the main categories of sea-based sources of marine plastic litter. The Working Group was established by GESAMP…

Royal IHC, the supplier of equipment, vessels and services for the offshore and dredging markets, has signed a contract with China’s Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co (ZPMC) to support the installation and commissioning of the J-Lay system on ZPMC’s multipurpose vessel JSD6000 in Changxing, China.The J-Lay system was delivered by IHC in April 2019 after one of the most complex mobilization operations ever seen in the North East of England.As part of this new contract, IHC will be responsible for the design and build of the stinger, the installation and commissioning of the pipelay system, as well as its ongoing preservation and maintenance…

The world's largest vessel, Pioneering Spirit, received a robotic hull cleaning during a recent port call in Rotterdam.The Allseas owned multipurpose vessel, which is on a temporary break from Nord Stream 2 pipelaying activities, made a stop in Rotterdam to prepare for upcoming topsides lift works at the giant Johan Sverdrup project offshore Norway. While in port, a robotic Fleet Cleaner vehicle cleaned the 382-meter-long vessel's hull despite stormy weather, cold temperatures and wind force 7 Bft.

Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit, the largest construction vessel in the world, has arrived in the port of Rotterdam to prepare itself for upcoming topsides lift works.The preparations included the removal of the pipelaying stinger. When Pioneering Spirit is required for topsides lift work, the pipelaying stinger will be removed from the bow section of the vessel and stored on the purpose-built barge, Bumblebee.Kotug Smit Towage provided various towage services for the removal of the stinger. This included among others the transportation of the barge ‘Bumblebee’ to the Alexiahaven, where the mooring wires for Bumblebee were prepared. Thereafter…

Pontchartrain Materials Company finds innovative solution for barge unloading applications. Located in New Orleans, La., Pontchartrain Materials Corporation, LLC provides aggregates to general contractors as well as asphalt and ready-mix companies. In addition to their chief product, limestone, the family-owned company sells recycled concrete and recycled asphalt. Pontchartrain sources the material from quarries in northern states, transferring it down the Mississippi River by barge to one of three company aggregate yards or directly to customers in the New Orleans and surrounding area.

Caribbean shipyard Grand Bahama Shipyard (GBS) said it has completed work on 30 commercial vessels within first half of 2017, predominantly comprised of companies returning to the yard with repeat business including tankers, bulk carriers, containerships, tugs, dive support vessels and drilling support vessels. In what is considered a volatile market, GBS said 2017 has been a great year for repeat customers, solidifying its position as a supporter of the major U.S. East Coast…

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.

Ulstein Equipment B.V. was awarded the IRO Oil & Gas Innovation Prize for its Ulstein Colibri, a 3D motion-compensated crane add-on system for the purpose of increasing vessel operability. This aims to enable smaller and more cost-effective vessels to be used in harsher weather conditions. On Thursday, December 3, 2015, the biannual IRO Oil & Gas Innovation Event took place at ESA-ESTEC in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, where the three preselected companies presented their innovations and competed for the IRO Innovation Prize.

With Offshore Inland Marine & Oilfield Services Inc (OIMO), a leader in topside and riding crew repair services, experiencing strong growth before the drilling market softened, the company knew its days in Mobile, Ala., were numbered, as it had outgrown its five acre facility and fabrication shop. But it didn’t have to go far, earlier this year moving 60 miles east to Pensacola, FL, finding the backing of a strong maritime community with a wealth of technical talent, not to mention vastly improved facilities.

In a word, Pieter Schelte is BIG. Founded in 1985, Swiss-based Allseas Group S.A. is specialized in offshore pipeline installation and subsea construction. The company employs more than 2,500 people worldwide and operates a fleet of specialized, in-house designed and developed pipelay and support vessels. The company is known for its daring and imagination in ship design and technological innovation. The newest Allseas vessel, Pieter Schelte, is a huge ship, composed of two super-tanker hulls connected by a wide central work platform or slot, much like a catamaran.

Smith Bits, a Schlumberger company, announced today the introduction of StingBlade* conical diamond element bit. StingBlade bits increase run length and rate of penetration (ROP) while delivering improved steering response in directional applications. “In the continuous drive for increasing efficiency and lowering costs while drilling, our customers expect that each section is drilled from shoe to total depth with one drill bit at a high rate of penetration,” said Malcolm Theobald, president, Bits & Advanced Technologies, Schlumberger. StingBlade bits use Stinger* conical diamond elements optimally placed across the bit face. The conical shape of Stinger elements…

Fire Departments in South Carolina and Minnesota have recently accepted delivery of Response FR-28 and FR-31J boats built of welded aluminum by Viking Welding & Fabrication in Kensington, N.H. The boats were designed by Response Marine in Newburyport, Mass. The FR-28 specifications were developed by Mount Pleasant Fire Department in South Carolina to improve firefighting and rescue capability in the coastal areas surrounding Mount Pleasant, which include Charleston Harbor, Gray Bay and Hamlin Sound. The boat was largely funded by a federal grant. Norm Allen of Mt.

As some pre-salt plays begin production, a wide range of subsea infrastructure is being built, with O&G transportation pipeline grids being one of the vital downstream systems. Saipem has been recipient of the first major contracts to install deepwater pre-salt pipelines by national operator Petrobras. Claudio Paschoa, Maritime Reporter’s correspondent in Brazil brings us an in-depth look at Saipem’s vessels and projects in Brazil. Saipem’s pipelaying segment is part of a unified Business Unit Engineering & Construction, an entity with more than 30,000 employees from more than 100 nationalities, with more than 60 permanent establishments and numerous project execution centers worldwide, which has maintained yearly revenues exceeding $13 billion.

Leak detection is a considerable challenge facing the industry, and DNV GL has therefore taken the lead in establishing a new Joint Industry Project (JIP). Twenty key industry players are partnering to develop a best practice for designing and implementing offshore leak detection systems. Over the last few years, following several oil releases, there has been an increasing focus by both operators and authorities on the environmental impact related to offshore oil and gas activities.

On Thursday, June 16, 2011, Huisman’s CEO Joop Roodenburg gave the official start signal for the construction of Huisman China’s new quayside. With the new quayside in place, the Huisman China facility will be easily accessible for seagoing vessels, allowing for fast installation, commissioning and testing of the Huisman designed and built offshore construction equipment onboard. Besides the installation of Huisman products, the new quay and 2,400mt Travelling Crane will also serve commercial purposes for companies throughout China.

COSCO Zhoushan are to construct four tankships and COSCO Dalian a tankship and a stinger barge. The Zhoushan contract is with a European owner for the construction of four 110,000 dwt tankships and is worth over US$180-million in total. Delivery of the above four tankers is expected to commence from the first half of 2015. The Dalian contracts are for: Contstruction of a 22,000 dwt tankship for an Asian company, scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2014. Separately, COSCO (Zhoushan) Shipyard Co., Ltd (which is also a subsidiary of COSCO Shipyard Group Co., Ltd.) has secured a contract from a European company to build a stinger barge. The barge is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2014. The total value of the above two contracts is over US$36 million.

A British company which makes compressed air cannons has reported a surge in the interest for its new floating entanglement device which can stop pirate skiffs in their tracks. Cardiff based maritime security and survival experts, BCB International Ltd, have unveiled a new floating entanglement projectile which can be deployed from its British made compressed air launcher called the ‘Sea Stinger.’ The company reports that it has piqued the interest of the Maritime Industry as…

ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert visited USS Wasp (LHD 1) to witness, first hand, the on-going Bold Alligator 2012 (BA12) amphibious exercise and to speak with Sailors and Marines, Feb. 4. BA12 is the largest joint and multinational amphibious assault exercise the East Coast has seen in the last 10 years. The exercise is being held to revitalize the partnership of the Navy and Marine Corps while observing amphibious capabilities in the fleet and their contribution to naval operations.

Dutch Van Oord’s first shallow water pipe lay vessel’s infrastructure holds KVM hardware from German Guntermann & Drunck. KVM provides surveyor and chief officer in charge with the computer applications required for the process of laying pipes. A broad range of all sorts of equipment from cranes to welding stations, even a gym and accommodation for up to 300 people is what the Stingray crew calls home. The barge itself and her standard equipment was built in China, but was later tailored and converted by Van Oord who adjusted it to their individual needs of a shallow water pipe lay vessel.