Offshore SeisNews ©


••• 01.02.21 Japanese whaler enters Australian waters.
The Australian government has lodged a protest with Tokyo after a ship from the Japanese whaling fleet entered its exclusive economic zone in the Southern Ocean near Macquarie Island.
Canberra is strongly opposed to whaling and launched legal action challenging the basis of Japan's so-called "scientific" hunt in December 2010.
The Japanese fleet left for the Southern Ocean in late December, planning to catch up to 935 Antarctic minke whales and up to 50 fin whales and the Shonan Maru No.2, a support vessel, strayed into Australia's economic zone Thursday.
"The government strongly objects to whaling vessels passing through Australian territorial seas or our exclusive economic zone," Environment Minister Tony Burke said.
"Australia has made it clear to Japan on a number of occasions that vessels associated with its whaling programme are not welcome in Australia's exclusive economic zone or territorial sea.
"Our embassy in Tokyo has conveyed these sentiments directly to the Japanese government," he added.
Source: Maritime-connector

••• 01.02.21 SeaBird contract award.
SeaBird Exploration Plc announced that the Hawk Explorer is mobilizing for the Pelotas survey in Brazil for Spectrum ASA.
The vessel will be working under the existing global framework agreement.
The survey is approximately 7,500 km.
Source: SeaBird

••• 01.02.21 Spectrum ASA: Starts 2D Multi-Client seismic survey in the Pelotas Basin offshore Brazill.
Spectrum is mobilizing for the acquisition of a 7,500 km 2D Multi-Client seismic survey in the Pelotas basin offshore Brazil in anticipation of future licensing rounds.
The Pelotas basin is a frontier area with little seismic coverage. The survey will tie in to the extensive 2D seismic coverage in neighboring Uruguay that Spectrum markets to the industry.
Source: Spectrum ASA

••• 31.01.21 Turkey buys new vessel for oil search.
Turkey’s state-run oil researcher TPAO has bought a seismic vessel to conduct two and three dimensional seismic surveys in Turkish seas, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz announced.
After seven months of talks between the two sides, the TPAO paid around $130 million to Polarcus company for the seismic vessel, which is 84 meters long and 17 meters width, as well as a Sikorsky helicopter landing strip.
The seismic vessel, which Yildiz said had proved its success in the international arena in two and three dimensional seismic surveys, will accelerate the search for oil and natural gas in the seas.
Yildiz said the vessel would conduct searches in the Black Sea and then in the Mediterranean Sea.
The vessel constructed in 2011, named Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa (ex. Polarcus Samur), will be introduced to the public in an upcoming ceremony organized in Istanbul’s Besiktas Pier.
It passed through Dardanelles Strait yesterday to arrive Istanbul.
The vessel will be painted red and white, which are the colors of Turkey’s flag, after customs and harbor registration is completed.
Source: Kalemjournal.com

••• 31.01.21 Lyubov Orlova under tow off coast of Newfoundland.
A vessel belonging to an offshore operator is now towing the Lyubov Orlova in a northernly direction off the coast of Newfoundland.
According to a spokeswoman for Husky Energy, the immediate priority is to move the former cruise ship away from offshore facilities.
Adrift at sea since Thursday, the Lyubov Orlova was at one point moving towards the Hibernia platform. CBC News reported the vessel was at one point 11 kilometres from the platform.
The Husky spokeswoman said the tow with the Atlantic Hawk was established at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday. As to where it will be towed, she said no final decision has been made.
A spokesman for the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board said discussions took place among local operators that were monitoring the situation with the Lyubov Orlova.
A fixture in St. John’s harbour for over two years, the Lyubov Orlova, a 237-passenger vessel about 100 metres in length, left the port last Wednesday with assistance from an American tugboat, the Charlene Hunt. Vessel has been adrift since its tow line snapped in rough weather last week as it was pulled to the Dominican Republic for scrap.
Source: "The Telegram"

••• 31.01.21 Kulluk remains stable as analysis continues.
The Kulluk drilling rig, which ran aground Alaska Dec. 31 after breaking free from a towing vessel, remains stable as the engineering analysis continues, according to a Wednesday statement from Unified Command.
The Kulluk's openings on the windows and hatches have been secured. In some cases, temporary steel structures have been added to close the openings to make the vessel weather and watertight for potential tow operations. A few openings have been left open to allow ongoing operations.
Unified Command has received confirmation from naval architects that the damage sustained by the grounding poses no threat to the stability or integrity of the rig while it is anchored in Kiliuda Bay.
"The next step is an analysis of this data to determine the best course of action to relocate the Kulluk for permanent repairs," Unified Command commented in a statement. Unified Command would not speculate on this next step until Det Norske Veritas and the U.S. Coast Guard, both members of the Unified Command, give their recommendations for safely relocating the rig.
Tow equipment has been secured and is currently in Kodiak, Alaska.
Members of the Unified Command initially formed to regain control of the Kulluk – and who later recovered and towed the rig to safe harbor after it ran aground – also include Shell, the State of Alaska, and Smit Salvage.
The Unified Command is working with the Old Harbor Native Corporation to develop a plan to clean up life boat debris from the shoreline and surrounding area. Earlier this month, the Coast Guard reported it would launch a formal marine casualty investigation into the Shell-operated Kulluk's grounding on the southeast shore of Sitkalidak Island, Alaska.
The Kulluk, which was designed and constructed for drilling in Arctic waters, is one of two rigs Shell used in its 2012 drilling operations offshore Alaska.
Source: Rigzone

••• 31.01.21 Iran seeks help to rescue gas platform from seabed.
Iran has sought foreign help to recover a $40 million gas platform that has fallen to the Gulf seabed, its Mehr news agency reported, in a rare request by an industry isolated by sanctions.
In the incident, the platform's metal support jacket plunged 80 metres below the surface after a crane broke during installation.
The structure, one of four planned for South Pars, weighs more than 1000 tonnes.
The companies involved, state-run service company Sadra and a National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) subsidiary, have asked for foreign companies to help rescue the platform, Mehr said on Wednesday in reports cited by Reuters.
"Without the help of foreign companies ... it is forecast that it won't be possible to retrieve the jacket for several months," an unidentified NIOC official told Mehr.
An official with Pars Oil and Gas Company earlier told Mehr that crisis groups had been set up on site and in Tehran and that steps to recover the giant structure could begin when the weather and sea conditions improved.
But the NIOC official told Mehr that calls for help had been sent out to several international companies that might have the specialised equipment needed, without having received any immediate response.
Source: Upstream

••• 30.01.21 NCS Survey takes delivery of two more Gavia AUVs.
NCS Survey has expanded its growing autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) fleet with the purchase of two Teledyne Gavia AUVs.
These vehicles are the latest in the Gavia Offshore Surveyor series and are equipped with high-resolution side scan sonar, a multi-beam echo sounder, a sub-bottom profiler, an ultra-short baseline positioning system, long baseline (LBL), GPS and an inertial navigation system. The AUVs are used to provide ultra-high-resolution data for pipeline and platform inspections; scour monitoring surveys; cable and pipe route surveys; and offshore wind farm surveys. For three years, NCS Survey has operated these vehicles in difficult access and remote areas including the southern tip of Argentina. Additionally, the company has a high level of repeat business from clients like Shell, BP and ConocoPhillips.
This purchase underlines NCS Survey’s position as the global leader in the use of portable AUVs in the offshore survey market as it now has the largest commercial fleet in the world. The vehicles are rated to 1000m but regularly operate in depths as shallow as 2m. They can perform in currents of more than 2 knots, under jackup drilling rigs and very close to fixed platform structures. Their modularity offers ease of transportation as no module weighs more than 25kg in its transit case.
"The addition of these Gavia AUVs to our fleet is a reflection of a growing demand from current and potential clients for AUV services in 2012," said NCS Survey president Andy Gray. "As a global leader in the use of this equipment, we are constantly growing and expanding in accordance to our clients’ demands. This is an ideal representation of that."
Source: NCS Survey

••• 30.01.21 Norway: Ulstein unveils next generation of IMR Vessel.
The cutting edge Seven Viking vessel, designed for operations in the harshest environments is being unveiled and named at a ceremony in Stavanger, Norway 30 January 2013. The Seven Viking is co-owned by Subsea 7 and Eidesvik and has been constructed in partnership with Ulstein.
The ICE-C class vessel with a crew capacity of 90 and a top speed of 17 knots, will work for Statoil on a five year contract. It has been custom-built according to the operator’s specifications to carry out tasks including inspection, maintenance and repair of subsea installations in addition to scale treatment and RFO work scopes (Ready For Operations).
The Seven Viking incorporates the X-BOW® hull line design to reduce motion in transit and gives increased stability in the potentially high waves that characterise the North Sea. Despite this enviable stability usually associated with size, this version of the Ulstein SX148 design has been crafted to be compact in stature – measuring only 106.5 metres long and 24.5 metres wide. The dimensions will allow the Seven Viking to manoeuvre with ease in confined spaces, such as between platforms, accessing difficult to reach areas.
Thanks to a clever configuration whereby hull space is maximised and equipment is integrated within a large hangar area, the Seven Viking and its crew have the ability to carry all necessary maintenance equipment on board, ensuring that operational downtime is kept to a minimum.
Safety, efficiency and environmental considerations have been the prime focus for the three partners when developing the Seven Viking, which carries the Clean Design notation.
A customised module handling system (MHS) has been integrated in the ship’s hangar for the safe launch and retrieval of subsea modules weighing up to 70 tons through the moon pool.
To facilitate cooperation and communication, all operational personnel are gathered in one area adjacent to the hangar, with panoramic windows in the control room giving a full overview of this key activity area. The Seven Viking has been developed to meet the highest working environment standards, and is classified as a comfort class COMF-V (3) vessel. Minimal noise levels in the hangar have been achieved by opting for electric winches for the ROVs, the MHS and other utility equipment.
Source: World Maritime News

••• 29.01.21 UTEC consolidates Middle East position.
Offshore survey company UTEC has consolidated its presence in the Middle East and has completed another significant contract for a major international pipelay contractor.
This is the second year in succession that UTEC has provided support to the contractor in the region.
The UAE (Dubai) project involved UTEC supporting the a DP pipelay vessel in extremely shallow water providing enhanced USBL methodologies as well as the provision of survey support services on two additional DP vessels which provided diver support and remedial services to the pipelay vessel.
Global Sales and Marketing Director Trevor Hughes said: "Based on our prior year’s performance the contractor as well as the end client has recognized UTEC’s extensive experience in supporting pipelay activity in harsh acoustic environments, by developing procedures and redundancy alleviating risk from the project."
Source: Rigzone

••• 29.01.21 Thombo launches South Africa Shoot.
Thombo Petroleum Ltd, a London-based company operating in the Republic of South Africa, saw the start of its 3D seismic acquisition over the A-J1 graben in Block 2B, offshore the South Africa.
The survey is being acquired using WesternGeco’s "IsoMetrix" marine isometric seismic technology.
Thombo said the survey is intended to reveal the extent of the A-J1 oil discovery and to enhance the company’s understanding of the many other prospects and leads in the graben which have been identified from existing 2D seismic data.
Commenting on the start of the survey,Trevor Ridley, MD and founder of the company said: "Thombo has been very impressed by WesternGeco’s preparations for this cutting-edge survey and we look forward to its successful conclusion in February, subject of course to suitable weather and sea conditions. Our aim is to complete the work without leaving any trace of our presence on the marine environment. We have worked closely with WesternGeco and the Petroleum Agency of South Africa with this objective in mind and, on board, we are using specialist observers to ensure we pay due respect to other users of the environment, including marine mammals."
The company has a 75% interest in the Block 2B Exploration Right issued by the Petroleum Agency of South Africa in 2011. The balance of 25% is held by Afren plc.
Source: PetroleumAfrica

••• 28.01.21 CGG: closing of the Acquisition of Fugro’s Geoscience Division.
CGG announced today that the main agreements needed to close the acquisition of Fugro’s Geoscience Division have been signed. The effective date of the closing will be January 31st, 2013, with the exception of the airborne activity and certain minor assets which will be contributed later, once all operating licenses and administrative authorizations have been received.
The Group has simplified its brand name from CGGVeritas to CGG. The Group is now organized around three Divisions: Equipment, Acquisition & Geology, Geophysics & Reservoirs (GGR).
With this transformative acquisition, CGG establishes a leading position in the high-tech integrated geology & geophysics and reservoir characterization market while strengthening and extending its existing businesses. CGG becomes a fully integrated Geoscience group, with less cyclical and low capital intensive businesses. Read more
Source: CGG

••• 28.01.21 Fugro: closing of the sale of the majority of the Geoscience activities.
The main agreements needed to close the transaction with CGGVeritas (CGGV) with respect to the sale of the majority of the Geoscience activities of Fugro have been signed. The effective date of the closing will be 31 January 2013, with the exception of the Airborne activities and certain minor assets. These activities and assets will be contributed later, once all equipment licence transfer and administrative authorisations have been received.
Also the agreements with respect to the Seabed joint venture, named Seabed Geosolutions, were signed.
Closing is expected on or before 15 February 2013 upon finalisation of certain administrative authorisations.
The sales price is unchanged at EUR 1.2 billion, with an adjustment for working capital at closing. Fugro will, as earlier indicated, contribute EUR 225 million in cash to CGGV with respect to the Seabed joint venture, in which Fugro has a 60% stake.
Because of the desire for rapid closing, parties have agreed that a part of the consideration at closing (EUR 125 million) will be in the form of a vendor loan. With the closing of Airborne, the vendor loan will be increased to EUR 225 million. The vendor loan is supported by a collateral arrangement and will, at a minimum, be reduced to 50% (EUR 112.5 million) by 2013 year end.
With the closure of the transaction, Fugro will fully concentrate on its Geotechnical, Subsea, Survey and Seabed joint venture activities. Future development of the business will be supported by a strategic calibration, which will take place in the next six months. In the meantime growth opportunities will be evaluated and acted upon as usual.
Source: Fugro

••• 25.01.21 Seismic: the motion picture.
Shell has found a way to use tiny motion sensors – like those used in modern everyday gadgets – to create sharper pictures of underground rock formations. They could help to find new oil and gas fields more cost effectively.
Geophysicists map underground rock structures by sending seismic waves – essentially sound – through the ground. Sensors record the seismic waves and computers process the recordings to create images of the rock layers. But these seismic images may not be sharp enough to pick up important details. As a result, multi-million dollar exploration wells sometimes end up as dry holes.
The accuracy of seismic imaging could soon improve thanks to a motion sensor, similar to those found in electronic devices like the handheld controllers in a Wii game console. The sensor, developed by computer giant HP and Shell, is 1,000 times more sensitive than those in the Wii.
Dirk Smit, Shell Chief Scientist for Geophysics, was at a nanotechnology conference in late 2008 when he learned of the HP sensor technology. "I realised at once that it could be adapted to record the tiny ground vibrations of exploration seismic waves," he says.
In conventional seismic surveys hundreds of kilometres of cable are needed to carry the information back to a recording unit. But the new sensors are small enough to fit into a radio transmitter, and they need little power. So they can send information wirelessly – in a similar way to the Wii remote. Eliminating the cables reduces the cost of seismic surveys.
The sensors could potentially be mass-produced, further bringing down costs. This would make it possible to deploy them in far larger numbers than conventional seismic sensors. "Sensors to seismic processing are like pixels to digital cameras," says Dirk. "The more there are, the higher the image’s resolution."
If tests under way are successful, thousands of the wireless seismic sensors could be planted like seeds over an exploration area of up to 1,000 square kilometres. They would pick up millions of billions of readings– far more than conventional seismic sensors. And this would give Shell a clearer picture of its drilling targets.
Source: SeaDiscovery

••• 25.01.21 Lone Star Geophysical Surveys has purchased a 4000-node ZLand seismic system from FairfieldNodal.
FairfieldNodal said that Lone Star previously leased ZLand system nodes for environmentally sensitive work in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and Montana, and made their purchase decision based on the results they achieved in those operations with the system.
"We have put these nodes to the test in some very challenging environments and been very impressed, both in terms of system performance and the HSE advantages they provide," said Lone Star's CEO and president Heath Harris. "We have tried many other similar systems, and found ZLand to be the clear choice for us."
Keith Matthews, FairfieldNodal’s systems sales director, is pleased with the endorsement. "We can talk all day long about having the best and only true cable-free seismic system out there, but when an important independent contractor like Lone Star Geophysical Surveys says it, that certainly holds more weight," he said.
Gary Bartlett, the regional sales manager for FairfieldNodal, added, "We know that Heath takes his HSE responsibilities very seriously, and our ZLand system allows his crews to safely work faster and get quality data with very minimal environmental impact."
FairfieldNodal ZLand systems have been proven in a wide range of environments, including busy urban areas and rugged terrains as well as in extreme climates, from deserts to the Arctic.
Privately held FairfieldNodal is headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, and offers a full spectrum of true cable-free nodal seismic products and services, from systems design, manufacturing and sales to acquisition, processing and multi-client licensing.
Source: FairfieldNodal

••• 24.01.21 Galileo Satellite SAR Package activated.
Galileo’s search and rescue system (SAR) passes first space test to begin major expansion of the Cospas–Sarsat network.
The second pair of Europe’s Galileo navigation satellites – launched together on 12 October last year – are the first of the constellation to host SAR search and rescue repeaters. These can pick up UHF signals from emergency beacons aboard ships and aircraft or carried by individuals, then pass them on to local authorities for rescue.
Cospas is a Russian acronym for "Space System for the Search of Vessels in Distress", with Sarsat standing for "Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking". Ground stations – known as Local User Terminals – pinpoint the source of distress calls using signals relayed by participating satellites, then alert local authorities.
Once the satellites reached their 23 222 km-altitude orbits, a rigorous test campaign began. The turn of the SAR repeater aboard the third Galileo satellite came on 17 January. "At this stage, our main objective is to check the repeater has not been damaged by launch," explains ESA’s Galileo SAR engineer Igor Stojkovic. The following day involved sending a signal to the repeater using the UHF antenna at ESA’s Redu Centre in Belgium, then picking up the reply from our L-band antenna."
Redu’s antenna is 20 m in diameter, so the shape of the relayed signal was captured in great detail, out of all proportion to surrounding noise. “We can precisely measure its power, the time the relay took and so on," adds Igor.
More detailed system testing will follow, to completely prove this new type of SAR payload in orbit.
Source: MarineLink

••• 24.01.21 Russia will submit its final Arctic territorial claims to the United Nations by the end of the year.
According to Artur Chilingarov, the veteran explorer who led the expedition to plant a Russian flag on the seabed at the North Pole in 2007, Russia's claim to a portion of the Arctic shelf would be filed with the United Nations Commission on the Law of the Sea by December.
"I think we are seriously prepared," he said, according to The Moscow Times. "We have gathered all the necessary information needed to make a just decision, including the experience of other countries."
Chilingarov led a series of expeditions over the past few years seeking to prove that the undersea Lomonosov Ridge is an extension of Russia's continental shelf.
Russia completed seismic surveys of the shelf’s outer limits in October 2012. In the "Arctic-2012" expedition Russia used the Northern Fleet’s unique "Losharik" nuclear-powered deep diving titanium submarine.
If approved, the claim based on this research would see Russia gain an additional 1.2 million square kilometers of exclusive economic zone. It is believed that Russia might have competing claims with both Denmark/Greenland and Canada in the area of the Lomonosov Ridge.
Source: BarentsObserver

••• 23.01.21 Navy ice patrol vessel saves cruise ship in Antarctic.
The crew of the Royal Navy's Portsmouth-based ice patrol vessel has rescued a cruise ship threatened by Antarctic ice.
HMS Protector broke through thick ice to free Norwegian cruise liner MS Fram when it became surrounded by fast moving floes in Antarctic Sound.
No-one was hurt during the operation which took two hours.
Captain Peter Sparkes said HMS Protector was "the Royal Navy's equivalent of a Swiss army knife".
Working at a speed of two knots, HMS Protector broke the four-metre thick ice, which had trapped the cruise ship's bow, in two hours.
Capt Sparkes said: "Protector's ship's company are highly trained and well equipped to deal with a spectrum of operations in Antarctica."
The area is prone to changes in winds and local currents, and ships can quickly become trapped, sometimes for weeks, when the concentration of pack ice increases.
MS Fram, which is purpose-built for sailing in polar waters was on a tour of the Antarctic Peninsula when the incident happened on 15 January.
HMS Protector is continuing with patrol of the British Antarctic Territory, supporting an international inspection team surveying environmentally sensitive sites around the peninsula.
Source: Maritime-connector

••• 23.01.21 Hallin Marine confirms Penrith sunk off Myanmar.
Hallin Marine has confirmed that its vessel Penrith met with what company officials described as "a major incident" off Myanmar last week and has sunk. All 42 crew were rescued, and there were no injuries to personnel other than two minor first-aid cases caused by the initial impact.
In a statement, Hallin Marine said all safety procedures were implemented following the incident. "Our emergency response team is on site and will remain so until the situation has stabilised," said the company.
"We are convening an internal enquiry with the assistance of third-party specialists to establish exactly what happened. Notwithstanding the fact that the inquiry is still in progress to determine the full facts, it initially appears that Penrith hit a rock whilst moving at a speed of 10 knots offshore Myanmar."
Source: OffshoreShippingOnline

••• 23.01.21 Chinese BGP has launched its acquisition of 2D survey offshore Madagascar.
BGP Challenger has started data acquisition of the 2D Multi Client survey in Morondava basin offshore Madagascar.
The new 13300 km long offset survey is adjacent to recent giant gas discoveries in Mozambique and Tanzania. Data acquisition will be completed in May, 2013. PSTM data will be available in Q3, 2013.
The survey is partly supported by industry funding.
OMNIS Madagascar will launch a bidding round later to promote the concessions in Madagascar Offshore based on the evaluation results from the survey.
Source: PetroleumAfrica

••• 22.01.21 WGP contracted by SMG for project in Ecuador.
After working closely together for two productive surveys in the high Arctic, WGP has again been contracted by the State Sevmorgeo Company (SMG) for seismic survey operations in Ecuador.
This challenging activity will comprise the acquisition of 2D and 3D surveys in transition zone and shallow waters for which SMG will utilise Fairfield Z-700 Ocean Bottom Nodes (OBN), in combination with Portable Sources provided and operated by WGP and installed on vessels of opportunity.
WGP’s Chief Technical Officer, Terry Hibben, commented: "In keeping with WGP’s root philosophy of collaborating with industry partners whether an existing geophysical or energy company, being able to mobilise and operate in frontier locations, this project again shows our interest and capability of undertaking new challenges".
The surveys are scheduled to commence on 14th February 2013 and last until 15th June 2013, with work on pre-mobilisation underway.
Thalassa’s Chairman, Duncan Soukup, commented: "We are again delighted to be working with the SMG Group, following the successful surveys in the Arctic in 2011 and 2012, on this occasion outside of Europe during a period when we had not budgeted any work".
Source: WGP

••• 21.01.21 Norway unions call for risk review.
Norwegian unions are calling for a radical review by Statoil and the authorities of the dangers of operating in high-risk countries such as Algeria in the wake of the terrorist attack at In Amenas.
Major union SAFE, which has strong worker representation within the state oil company, has written to the country’s Defence Ministry demanding a meeting to examine security safeguards against terrorism for Norwegian-owned oil and gas installations, both at home and overseas.
The union’s health, safety and environment leader Roy Erling Furre believes a reassessment of risk at Statoil’s overseas operations is required after the incident at the Algerian gas plant, which is believed to have resulted in the deaths of scores of foreign workers.
"There is reason to believe that recent events have changed the risk picture," said Furre, who also expressed fears that facilities off Norway could be a terrorist target.
He now wants a dialogue between oil companies, unions and authorities to review the security situation, focusing on emergency preparedness and response time in the event of a terror incident.
"We are concerned that the Army’s special operations unit (FSK) has a response time of 24 hours if something was to happen in Norway. Neither are we happy with operating in countries or areas where the risk level is so high that lives are in danger," Furre said.
Statoil, which has evacuated workers from In Amenas and other sites in Algeria due to the potential threat of further terrorist attacks, also operates in other African troublespots such as Nigeria and Angola, with operations in a total of 36 countries.
Another union leader, Tekna president Marianne Harg, also is backing a security reassessment and was reported as saying by Norwegian newspaper VG that Statoil may increasingly have to use local workers to run its overseas installations due to the risk for foreign nationals in certain countries.
Source: Upstreamonline.com

••• 19.01.21 Survey vessel Seaprobe sank in the Gulf of Mexico.
The 52 meter long, gross tonnage 818 tons survey vessel Seaprobe sank in the Gulf of Mexico near Mobile, Alabama in the night of Jan 18, 2013. Home port: Galveston Tx, class society: American Bureau Of Shipping, build year: 1974, owner/manager: Fugro Mcclelland Marine Houston Tx, U.s.a.
The vessel suffered uncontrolled water ingress and a distress call was sent out. The Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter to the scene. All 12 crew were rescued with several survivors suffering only minor injuries.
Source: Shipwrecklog.com

••• 18.01.21 Russian Sevmorgeo hires Thalassa for Ecuador survey.
Thalassa Holdings Ltd announced that its subsidiary, WGP Energy Services Ltd has entered into a contract with SMG Ecuador, the Ecuador business of State Sevmorgeo Company, the Russian geological sea survey company, with an initial value of US$4.175 million.
The contract involves the provision and operation of Thalassa's Portable Modular Source System ("PMSSTM") as part of seismic data acquisition surveys being conducted in Ecuador by SMG Ecuador.
The surveys are scheduled to commence on 14 February 2013 and last until 15 June 2013. Work on premobilisation is already underway.
Thalassa's Chairman, Duncan Soukup, commented: "We are again delighted to be working with the SMG Group, following the successful surveys in the Arctic in 2011 and 2012, on this occasion outside of Europe during a period when we had not budgeted any work."
Source: Thalassa Holdings Limited

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