This is not a regular ferry, this is not a regular ferry.
BC Ferries project manager Mark Nemeth repeated this mantra to himself in the early stages of building Baynes Sound Connector at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards. As a cable vessel it isn’t unique, but at 258 feet it is one of the largest of its type. It also operates on the longest cable ferry run in the world.
Baynes Sound is a narrow channel between 12-mile-long Denman Island and the east coast of Vancouver Island. For years, a conventional ro-ro ferry served the run of about 1.2 miles. When it came time for a new ferry, officials noted that the channel is about 195 feet at its deepest point and generally has a sandy bottom, which would allow cables to lie on the sea floor without damaging the lines or the environment. While it is subject to strong winter southeast winds, the reach is not so long that wave heights become excessive.
Baynes Sound Connector was launched at the Vancouver Shipyards in 2015. Following finishing work alongside the shipyard, the boat was towed to the site where the cables already had been installed. It went into service early in 2016 after a period of testing and crew training.
Nemeth had taken early retirement as an engineering superintendent with the BC Ferry Corp., but he went back to work to join the vessel replacement team for construction of the boat. Of retirement he said, “We drove all over North America in our mobile home but when I came back home to BC, I needed something to do.”
He enjoys his new work and is particularly enthusiastic about Baynes Sound Connector. Somewhere between a barge and a boat, the ferry operates by pulling itself along a 6,233-foot-long cable that is 1.6 inches in diameter. Two guide cables of the same diameter are anchored in massive concrete piers and then pass through sheaves under the ferry’s sponsons. Top speed is 8.5 knots.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December/January 2017 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 December/January 2017 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.
