“Fast, faster, fastest” is a buzz phrase that aptly describes the evolution of SEACOR Marine’s fleet of fast supply vessels (FSVs).
First there was the Express class, then the Express Plus class, and now, with the delivery of the 194-foot Liam J. McCall in February, the Express Plus-Plus class. The boat, built by Gulf Craft LLC in Franklin, La., can reach speeds of nearly 40 knots while providing a new level of passenger comfort.
On an initial delivery run in February, Capt. Rick Oliver used the opportunity to show off that speed. When Oliver thrust forward on the five throttles, the vessel got up and seemed to fly over the water.
“SEACOR’s seventh-generation FSV designs are focused on maximum speed while maintaining crew and passenger comfort,” said Joe McCall, senior project manager for SEACOR.
At Port Fourchon, La., in August, fresh from a deep water charter for Chevron and about to begin a charter with Anadarko, Capt. James Taylor confirmed the early reviews: “We’re making some good speed with her.”
In addition to speed and comfort, the Express Plus-Plus boats, designed by Incat Crowther in Lafayette, La., also address deck cargo capacity and emergency evacuation capability — both important considerations as oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico are conducted hundreds of miles from the coast.
With those operations reaching ever farther to sea, demand has grown for more speed and more supply capacity, resulting in the birth of the FSV. On the leading edge of that development was Norman McCall of McCall Boat Rentals.
When SEACOR and McCall Boat merged in 1996, Norman McCall and his son, Joe, came in the bargain. The McCalls had built a highly reputable fleet of fast crew boats plying the Gulf Coast oil field. Bolstered by the international profile of SEACOR and the escalation of deep water drilling, the pair spearheaded the evolution of crew boats into FSVs.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة American Ship Review 2018 من Professional Mariner.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة American Ship Review 2018 من Professional Mariner.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Mariner's role still unknown as autonomous shipping gains speed
Mariners’ role still unknown as autonomous shipping gains speed
Piracy edges closer to home with wave of raids in southern Gulf
In the brief cellphone video recorded by a crewmember on the offshore supply vessel (OSV) Remas, the pirates walk back and forth on the deck of the ship, clenching their guns and using them to point as they order around the crew. Their faces are draped in clothing and bandanas.
Casualties
NTSB: Dredge hit Texas gas pipeline, causing fire that killed four
IMO emissions report raises new concerns about methane slip
A recent report from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) reveals that global shipping emissions increased nearly 10 percent from 2012 to 2018, with the industry facing a growing challenge concerning methane slip.
Bay State brothers find industry niche by making old into new
Zero non-conformities is what you want to hear when the U.S. Coast Guard inspects your tugboat. Once you’ve prepared your vessel, the inspectors come aboard to peruse your paperwork. They ask you pointed questions, to which they expect straightforward answers. Perusal completed, they then scrutinize all of the related safety systems, from bilge to antennas — even the ship’s bell.
Signals
A year into the pandemic, thousands ‘essentially indentured’ on ships
Analysis points to faulty loading, low ballast in Golden Ray rollover
While the salvage of the sunken vehicle carrier Golden Ray has been delayed for months due to COVID-19 and the hurricane season, analysis by the U.S. Coast Guard has determined a possible cause for the rollover: a combination of vehicles placed too high on the ship’s decks, and not enough ballast water gave the placement of the cargo.
Seastreak newcomer pushing through dip in demand
Two years ago, Seastreak LLC took delivery of Seastreak Commodore, a 600-passenger fast ferry, from Gulf Craft of Franklin, La. Designed by Australia-based Incat Crowther, the vessel is the largest of its kind in the United States and was built to meet the burgeoning demand for service in the New York-New Jersey market.
New year in a new world: Navigating COVID's maritime realities
In a matter of days, the decorative time balls will drop, “Auld Lang Syne” will fill the air, and ships at anchor will sound their horns as the world welcomes in the new year.
Advanced props, rudders provide new efficiencies below the waterline
It took a decade or two from the invention of the marine propeller in the 19th century for the technology to become widely accepted. Thereafter, adoption has been nearly universal, but progress toward improved efficiencies has come in fits and starts.
