Offshore staff
PAPENDRECHT, the Netherlands — Boskalis’ BOKA Vanguard vessel has transported a 50-year-old, 330-m long FPSO to a "green" scrapyard, the company said in its latest results statement.
The crane vessel Bokalift 1 has completed installation of foundations of the Changfang and Xidao offshore wind project in Taiwanese waters. While in the US, the new crane vessel Bokalift 2 has installed all planned monopile for another project.
Boskalis expanded its seabed intervention fleet with the commissioning of the Seapiper vessel.
In the Salvage division, highlights this year include the start of a two-year project to recover a large jackup platform from the seabed.
The FSO Safer project
Another program that started in late April involved mobilizing of equipment to transfer 1.1 Mbbl of oil from the decaying FSO Safer in the Red Sea 9 km off the coast of Yemen to a modern replacement VLCC tanker. Safer was built as an oil tanker in 1976 and then converted to an FSO in 1987 to store about 1.14 MMbbl. It had not been maintained since 2015 due to the war in Yemen, and there was a risk the vessel could explode or break apart.
Last week Boskalis subsidiary SMIT Salvage completed removal of the oil under the UN-coordinated operation.
After the Boskalis multi-purpose support vessel Ndeavor arrived at the site in late May, the salvage team conducted an inspection of the Safer and its cargo, followed by preparations for the oil transfer. The VLCC was moored alongside the vessel on July 23 with the assistance of two Smit Lamnalco tugs; as a precaution, oil screens were installed on the bow and stern between the two tankers.
Oil transfer pipes were then connected between the tankers on July 25, followed by installation of hydraulic pumps for the transfer operation.
SMIT Salvage’s remaining activities include cleaning the tanks, expected to take about a week. The FSO Safer will then be prepared for transport to a green scrapping yard under the UN’s responsibility.
08.17.2023
