CONTENTS
Editor's Note
From the Chair
RVOC Update
UNOLS News
Around the Yards
RVOC 1998
MARINE-L Marine Study List
ABS Survey
New Medical Advisory Service
Fire Fighting School
ENDEAVOR out of "Retirement"
POLAR STAR/Deep Freeze
WECOMA Responds to Event
UNOLS Ship Inspection Update
Notes and Clippings
I am a little late getting this edition to press, sorry about the delay. I hope to get Vol. 23, No. 2 out in late July. Special thanks to all of those who sent information for this edition.
Steve
Well, I have complicated Steve Rabalais' effort to get this newsletter out by delaying my input so let me try to rectify this.
Bill Coste is off to a great start in coordinating the 1998 RVOC meeting. Those of you attending should have received Bill's e-mail on the accommodations he has arranged, if not Steve has repeated the information in the newsletter. Please note that the dates for the RVOC meeting are 4, 5, 6 November - this is a Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
We do need to give consideration to the agenda for this meeting. Please take the time to consider those issues facing you that we should plan to incorporate and address in the agenda. The issues I have heard the most about of late seem to be either technology driven such as ECDIS and communications or of a regulatory nature such as STCW and ISM. STCW and ISM definitely reflect a change in focus by the regulatory agencies which in the past have tried to reduce the mishaps through the use of technology. The focus is now shifting to the human element.
I look forward to hearing from you as we make plans for the 1998 RVOC meeting.
Best Regards,
Paul Ljunggren
- Small Boat Primer - Dave Powell, coordinator for the effort to develop a primer on small research vessels, reports that progress is very slow. Several authors have sections nearly done and Dave is trying to find time to finalize, edit, etc. Others have not reported recently nor sent in their section so he does not know their status. One section has been forwarded to Dave for word processing and that is underway.
- Safety - Tom Smith reports that the 6th revisions to the Research Vessel Safety Standards is progressing well. Most of the chapter revisions have been received from the designated committee members and Tom hopes to have a draft out for review June '98.
The safety video is well on its way to completion. A final script was
adopted by the Safety Committee and Jamestown Marine in February and taping
is scheduled to begin the last week in March. The video crew will begin
by taping scenes of loading and unloading on the OCEANUS at WHOI. The next
taping will be aboard the ENDEAVOR during the transit back to her pier
in Narragansett on 13 April. Tom reports that efforts are still underway
to procure a narrator for the film and find props to be used during filming.
Operators with stock footage of vessels in heavy seas, working with heavy
machinery and deck gear during heavy weather, dockside loading activities
or general video footage of RVs working at sea are encouraged to contact
Tom.
The UNOLS Council is deliberating over a charter change for UNOLS. The focus of the change is to broaden the user's involvement within UNOLS. To do this the revised charter, if passed by a vote of the membership, will open more positions on the Council and the standing committees for UNOLS members from non- operating institutions.
The UNOLS Office has been working with computer programmers at the University of Rhode Island and the University of Washington to revise the on-line ship time request form. In addition, there will be an on-line schedule form. Both of these forms will be linked to world maps which will be on the web. Ship time request forms, when filed, will not only be automatically mailed to all concerned but will cause a posting on a world map indicating where the science will be conducted. In the case of the schedules, a cruise track will be developed and posted on a world map for ships with schedules that have international voyages. Both new forms are designed to provide more information and permit better tracking of ship requests. Demonstration packages are on the UNOLS homepage, and all are encouraged to access the forms and make recommendations for improvements. Please contact the UNOLS Office with your recommendations.
EDWIN LINK- Harbor Branch Oceanographic's R/V EDWIN LINK is under going
a facelift at
International Ship Repair and Marine Service in Tampa, FL. EDWIN LINK
arrived there February 4th and work is scheduled to be completed in mid
April. The modifications include enlarging the present bridge structure
to allow for an aft control station on the starboard side, an office/commo
room aft center and an emergency generator on the aft port side. Additionally,
a new flared bow will replace the old blunt nosed straight sided bow. Less
noticeable changes are new berthing areas located in the former No. 3 ballast
tanks, also the galley and serving area is being enlarged providing seating
for 14 persons. Other improvements are dry lab size increasing to 350 sq.
ft. from 270 sq. ft., uncontaminated sea water system with a thermo-salinograph,
a de-bubbler and PVDF (Polyvinyl Idene Flouride) piping, valves and pumps.
A total of 20 science berths will be available with a submersible system
aboard or 27 when conducting surface science only. New transducer wells
are also being installed for future expansion which will include two ADCPs,
a 3.5 KHZ CHIRP SONAR and 12 KHZ PDR.
UM/RSMAS - A contract for the design of a replacement vessel for R/V CALANUS has been signed. The group selected is Timothy Graul Marine Design from Wisconsin. Design work will begin in April. Model testing will be done at an appropriate stage during the design. Construction bid packages will be out to builders by mid-year.
WECOMA - A new Dynacon deep sea traction winch system capable of handling 9/16" 3x19 wire or 0.680" electro-mech. cable was installed during the Dec. - Jan. period alongside in place of the old Markey deep sea winch which could only handle 1/2 3x19. The winch was used on the January cruise off N. Calif. and works great. Storage drums are interchangeable with those on Dynacon winches on other UNOLS vessels at SIO, WHOI and URI.
PELICAN - PELICAN was at Allied Shipyard in Larose, La for ABS Dry Dock, and Tailshaft Surveys. Both shafts were found to be corroded and cracked. One shaft was condemned and replaced. The other shaft, although repairable, also was replaced because the cost for repair was approximately equal to the price of a new shaft.
WHOI SWATH - The WHOI coastal SWATH design has progressed. It does not look particularly different from the version presented at the Oct. RVOC meeting. The top speed has been compromised a bit however, in order to keep the weight down. A complete set of model tests (including forces and motions) will be conducted at a model basin in Trondhiem, Norway around the end of May. This will be a regional vessel, not in UNOLS, with a minimum crew to keep the day rate down. There will be a meeting of the expected regional partners on 7 April and Jack Bash has been invited as an observer.
UCONN - The new vessel for the University of Connecticut will be launched in the middle of May. All machinery has been delivered, hull plating is in and the crane base is in place. Sea trials and outfitting are scheduled for the second week in July. Delivery is scheduled for late in July 1998. According to Bob DeGoursey, Washburn and Doughty of Booth Bay, ME, the builder of the vessel, is doing an excellent job and is on time and on budget.
The 1998 RVOC meeting will be hosted by the University of Hawaii and be held at the Hawaiian Regent; meeting dates are 4-6 November. The Regent is on the Diamond Head end of Waikiki, just across the street from a large beach, and within walking distance of the Aquarium and Zoo. Bill Coste suggests that anyone who has ever wanted to visit Hawaii consider bringing their spouses/family and take advantage of the hotel's offer to hold the rates three days before and three days after the meeting. We will help with tourist plans outside of the actual meeting days, if desired by any attendees. If you are making early reservations at the Hawaiian Regent, they will require a credit card number or check to cover the first night's cost ($99.15). You can cancel up to 72 hours in advance with no penalty. To make reservations you can call direct (808-922-6611), toll free (800-367-5370), fax (808-921-5255), email (hwnrgnt@aloha.net), or mail to 2552 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, 96815-3699. Their website is www.hawaiianregent.com.
Suggestions for this year's agenda should be forwarded to Paul Ljunggren or Steve Rabalais. We hope to structure the meeting like last year's with a large portion of one day dedicated to a workshop on a topic of special interest to operators (i.e. shipyard periods and how to plan for going into the yard, wire rope and how to select and maintain tension members, etc.).
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Looking forward to your participation in this discussion list, I wish you -
Fair Winds,
Jim Calvesbert <jim@cgc.ns.ca>
Superintendent,
Marine Communications and Traffic Services
Canadian Coast Guard
Maritimes Region
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
CANADA
FYI: Early this year LUMCON was faced with making the decision to renew the ABS class designation on PELICAN. A limited survey of the fleet was conducted to determine how many vessels were maintained in class.
A total of 13 institutions were contacted and responses were received from all but three. Information was provided on a total of 13 UNOLS vessels, seven of which were UNOLS class IV and six UNOLS class III. (Two of the UNOLS class IV were owned by NSF and two of the class IV were owned by NSF.) Five (out of seven) of the UNOLS class IV vessels were in ABS class and five (out of six) of the class III were in ABS class. All of the 13 ships maintained ILL certificates.
Steve Rabalais
The UNOLS Office has completed the solicitation for a new medical support services contract. The successful bidder is Medical Advisory Systems (MAS). The new contract takes effect on 1 July 1998 and is renewable each year for four years. MAS will be contacting each operating institution to coordinate the turnover. They will request pharmaceutical lists for their review and evaluation. Operators will then be contacted with MAS recommendations. The contract conditions remain the same as in the past. The MAS contact person is John Harper (410) 257-9504.
Three crew members from CAPE HENLOPEN participated in the refresher fire fighting course at the MARAD facility in New Jersey early this year. Tim Pfeiffer reports that they were very pleased with the course, the training was excellent and the practical exercises were appropriate to vessels of our size. Cost was very reasonable.
MARAD Firefighting
1029 Hwy 33 East
Freehold, NJ 07728
(732) 938-5190
It looks like ENDEAVOR will come out of lay-up to do a 160 day project
for NOAA in the Pacific starting in late July. The project is not cast
in concrete, but it has a 95% chance of happening. NOAA will use the ship
to conduct marine mammal surveys primarily looking at dolphins in association
with the Pacific tuna fishery. The study covers a large section from Mexico
to Peru and out to Hawaii. Two other NOAA ships, one with a helicopter,
will also
participate.
POLAR STAR/Deep Freeze Deployment
POLAR STAR is on the final leg of an extremely challenging Deep Freeze deployment, one that included bizarre weather, difficult icebreaking and a massive workload. McMurdo Station broke several records for snow accumulation and winds this season. Contrary to popular belief, it rarely snows in Antarctica, in fact, it is drier than the Sahara - although what snow that does fall never melts. McMurdo Station recorded better than nine feet of snow from mid-December to the end of February. This was further exacerbated by several "herbies" (localized windstorms) that blew through, whipping up the snow with hurricane force winds. Despite the challenges, POLAR STAR accomplished all tasks assigned to their usual high standards.
Along with icebreaking and science support, POLAR STAR's tasking included delivering 62,527 gallons of JP-5 to a remote helo refueling facility (Marble Point) a day's steam from McMurdo. At the same time, they moved over 80,000 lb. of cargo from the facility to McMurdo, loading the icebreaker in 93 VERTREP evaluations, then delivering the cargo to McMurdo's ice pier. They also conducted two burials at sea and somehow found the time to conduct three morale cruises for the citizens of McMurdo. They took a total of 620 people for brief runs down the ice channel; for most of these people, their only chance to "get out of town" for several months. While at McMurdo, POLAR STAR was visited by Congressman Gilchrest, the Chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Committee; VADM Card, RADM Riutta (G-O), MCPO Trent (G-MCPO-CG), and CDR Gentile (G-CC). The VIPs got a first-hand view of a little known but extremely challenging Coast Guard mission area.
Perhaps as their crowning achievement for this deployment: a 510 foot container/breakbulk cargo ship that serves McMurdo station suffered a show-stopping engineering casualty two days north of McMurdo. POLAR STAR had been released from operations in the Ross Sea and was northbound when they were diverted to the case. They took M/V GREEN WAVE in tow off Cape Adare, Antarctica, and started a 1515 NM tow across the Southern Ocean, an extremely dangerous stretch of water. With a little weather luck and exceptional seamanship, they reached the safety of New Zealand after 11 long days.
Other stops planned for POLAR STAR's homeward-bound transit are Mazatlan, Mexico (25-29 March) and San Francisco (3-8 April) before reaching their homeport of Seattle on or about 11 April.
WECOMA Responds to Seismic Event
WECOMA was able to respond, with a seven day cruise in mid-Feb., to seismic events on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Jim Cowen from the U of HI got a "quick response" grant from NSF to cover the work including sea days. The seismic events were detected by the NOAA Vents program at the Hatfield Marine Science Center using data from the Navy's acoustic monitoring systems in the NE Pacific. Both NOAA and WECOMA got quite a bit of press coverage from the work (see Clipping Section). WECOMA, thanks to normal winter conditions in the NE Pacific, also experienced some heavy weather in occasional 70 knot winds and 30 foot seas. The forward window of the after control station was lost along with other minor damage.
Jamestown Marine Services was awarded the NSF/UNOLS ship inspection contract only six months ago. Since then, the inspection team of Jack Ringelberg, Blake Powell, Greg Beers and Butch Lemke has completed nine inspections and has an aggressive schedule to complete the rest of the fleet by the end of this year in order to bring all ships up to date on their inspection cycles.
Inspection Schedule
Ship Location Dates
LAURENTIAN U. Mich 11 Sep 97
OCEANUS WHOI 06 Oct 97
HATTERAS Beau., NC 03 Nov 97
SEA DIVER Ft. Pierce, FL 18 Nov 97
S. JOHNSON Ft. Pierce, FL 19 Nov 97
W. BIRD II Bermuda 02 Dec 97
LONGHORN Port A., TX 08 Dec 97
POINT SUR MLML 12 Feb 98
EWING Norfolk, VA 13 Apr 98
ALPHA HELIX Seward, AK 18 May 98
BARNES Seattle, WA 21 May 98
PELICAN Cocodrie, LA 08 Jun 98
GYRE Galveston, TX 11 Jun 98
HENLOPEN Lewes, DE 24 Jun 98
NEW HORIZON San Diego, CA 17 Aug 98
SPROUL San Diego, CA 20 Aug 98
CALANUS Miami, FL 14 Sep 98
EDWIN LINK Ft. Pierce, FL 17 Sep 98
WECOMA Newport, OR 19 Oct 98
URRACA Panama 27 Oct 98
ENDEAVOR Narragansett, RI TBD
The UNOLS inspection will be consistent with past inspections. The first day will be dockside and the second day will be at sea. The following must be made available to the Inspection Team prior to inspection:
1. Complete and update the NSF Ship Condition Form (if you do not have
one please contact Jamestown Marine, or Dick West).
2. Updated action list from the previous inspection.
3. Ready at least four or five tanks for confined space entry, preferably
tanks other than those inspected during the last UNOLS inspection.
4. Drills will be conducted during the second day of the inspection
while at sea. The intent is not only to critique the crewÕs performance
during the drills, but to critique the senior officers ability to conduct
the drills (including thorough debriefing sessions) and to educate the
crew on their performance.
5. Lash back all winches for the first day of the inspection (other
than those with compelling reasons not to lash back such as traction winches
and conducting wire winches that would require extensive re-termination).
These winches will be run for extended periods of time during the first
day to allow them to warm up and to simulate working conditions. After
this dockside trial, the winches will need to be re-rigged and readied
for the sea trial on the second day.
6. One photocopy of the following certificates and reports must be
made for the inspectors to take with them at the end of the inspection:
+ List of people who will be attending the inspection including the
crew.
+ USCG Inspection Certificate
+ Last ABS Survey
+ Load Line Certificate
+ USCG Stability Letter
+ FCC Station License
+ USCG Letter of Designation as Oceanographic Research Ship
+ USPHS Certificate
+ OwnerÕs Certificate
+ Tonnage Certificates
+ Last dry dock report
+ Most recent gauging report.
As much of this information as possible should be delivered to the Inspector's hotel the night before the inspection. At the very least, this package should include the NSF Ship Condition Form, the updated action list from the previous inspection, the list of people who will be attending the inspection, the last dry dock report, and the most recent gauging report.
Regulatory
I. U.S., Mexico Sign Pact
II. More on Admeasurement
III. OSHA Seaman
IV. RTCM Newsletter, Oct. '97
V. Taking a Tough Stance (ISM Code)
VI. Vessel Operators Face Deadlines (ISM, STCW)
VII. A Talk With STCW Information Center
Communication
I. The Price is Right (COMSAT)
II. GMDSS Task Force, Jan '98
III. GMDSS Equipment
IV. GMDSS Tonnage
V. ICOM Low-cost Com. Device
VI. Marine Cell Direct
New Products
I. Calling Out
II. On the Guard (Cranes)
III. Staying on Course (Auto pilots)
Management
I. The other side of Management
Misc.
I. Ocean Volcano Voyage
II. Eruption Excites Scientists
III. A Voyage for Science
IV. Who Will cook the Food ?
V. Sea Launch Co. Taking Off
VI. Dock Talk (Water Bags)
VII. Ship Sunk by Cows
VIII. Follow That Ship
IX. Mystery Ship
X. South Pacific Violence
XI. Guam Privatizes Yards
XII. Use Your Eyes, Nose, Hands (hydraulic trouble shooting)
XIII. Havana Welcomes U.S. Vessel
XIV. NSB Resolution
XV. Asbestos Decision
XIV. YK Online
Insurance
I. Mandatory Liability
II. Low Rates
III. Comp. Factor, BP Self Insures
IV. Liability moves beyond Manufacturer
V. Forklift Safety
VI P.I. Clubs Stress ISM
VII. Reinsurance Rates Drop