Once more...

Update: The tow got underway about 1 pm, accompanied by Atlantic Fir and Atlantic Willow. This photo was taken about 1:40.
1. Underway early this afternoon.

2. At anchor this morning

Chemul will sail today - I have it on good authority. Yesterday's false start was "administrative" not technical, so all is good to go for this morning. Of course there is the matter of anchor retrieval. But the tugs Pegasus and Centaurus are connected with their towing gear, and as soon as the anchors are aweigh, they will be outbound.

Adios Chemul

Update: After all was said and done the rig did not leave this afternoon. Instead it went back to anchor, along with the two tugs. It may go in the morning. Pilots are called for 0900 hrs.

1. Chemul and tugs getting set to go, noontime January 5.

2. Chemul at the Woodside pier in September 2008. The accommodation block was rebuilt and three cranes and much other equipment added.

The offshore rig PSS Chemul is getting underway for the Gulf of Mexico. After a two year $110 million refit, the rig is ready to get to work. Under tow of the two German tugs Pegasus and Centaurus and with the assistance of harbour tugs Atlantic Fir and Atlantic Oak , and other craft, the rig is expected to leave the confines of Halifax harbour this afternoon.

In the top photo, on the far right is the workboat Captain Jim, and not visible behind the rig is the tug Belle D and barge Halifax Carrier, and tug Atlantic Larch, working on the removal of the last anchors.

For more on these tugs and workboats - see Tugfax.

Chemul takes a Hit

The Port Authority workboat Maintainer I heads north in advance of the Atlantic Cartier, while TSS Chemul sits at anchor Monday December 27. Despite the rather serene looking scene, there was a brisk wind and a strong swell, the remnants of another major storm that passed over earlier in the day.

Bad weather on Sunday/ Monday played havoc with work on the offshore rig Chemul. After successful sea trials last week, the rig returned to Halifax Harbour and anchored on December 23. That was a tricky operation for the harbour tugs which had to connect up to the rig off the pilot station. However the rig was handed over by Halifax Shipyard to PEMEX, (Petroleos Mexicanos) on Friday December 24, following the multi-million dollar refit.

There is other work minor work to do in preparation for the rig's departure, which is scheduled before year's end. Two tugs (from Harms Bergung Transport) Centaurus and Pegasus are due December 29.

The storm that went through on December 26 and 27 prevented some of that work from being done (see Tugfax) but also prevented people from safely boarding the rig from boats. I also hear there were other issues, including station keeping (positioning) resulting from wind and seas during the storm.

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TSS Chemul sails

The rig TSS Chemul left Halifax Saturday for extended sea trials offshore. Despite the appearance of being towed by two tugs, the rig is self-propelled, and has propulsion units mounted in its pontoons.

The tug Ryan Leet shadowed the rig out to sea and looked after transferring the pilots onto the pilot boat, then returned to port.

On Sunday afternoon, the rig was south and east of Halifax moving about in the anchorages, well offshore. Ryan Leet went out to top off its fuel and water to allow for an extended stay at sea in case of bad weather.

Chemul at anchor

1. Chemul rests in number one anchorage on Sunday afternoon.

2. Atlantic Willow runs out an anchor (at left) while Atlantic Larch stands by as the Chemul conducts inclining tests on Saturday.

The construction and accommodation rig Chemul moved out to anchor on Saturday for inclining tests. These tests, used to confirm the rig's stability, are among the last steps to be taken before a project is completed. Therefore the project to repair and rebuild the rig must be nearing an end.

The work has been a major project for Halifax Shipyard, and has employed a large work force at the Woodside dock since the rig arrived in 2008. At the time the contract was estimated to exceed $110 mn.

Chemul was undergoing repairs and refit at Mobile AB when it was damaged during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The rig, which was secured on a barge when the storm hit, was swept up the Mobile River and wedged under a bridge. Considerable damage was done to rig, barge and bridge. Some of the hull work (that is below the main deck level) had been done by the yard in Mobile, but it was Halifax Shipyard that was hired to complete rebuilding of the accommodation block and install cranes and other construction equipment on the rig.

The unit is not a drilling rig, but is used to support construction activity offshore and to house a large work force. It is built along the lines of a conventional semi-submersible oil rig, but it does not do drilling.

Chemul is owned by Pemex, the Mexican state oil company and is expected to return to Mexico on completion of the work.

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