Titan's State-Of-The-Art
Refloating Techniques Come
Through In A Pinch
A specialist in wreck removal,
Titan Maritime Industries, Inc. of
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. successfully
raised two vessels recently, one
marking its first job in Europe.
The first, the raising of the 8,000-
ton M/V Frota Humaita from her
capsized positioning in the Port of
Dunkirk, highlighted Titan's state-
of-the-art raising techniques and
capabilities.
The vessel was raised without
the aid of external heavy lift equip-
ment, a method which was declared
impossible by a number of the
company's competitors. In a sense,
the vessel was raised by computer,
as the extremely precise pumping
sequence was determined by a pur-
pose-designed computer program.
The physical results so accurately
followed the computer projections
that the vessel reportedly never had
more than two degrees of heel off
that which was anticipated. The
459-foot vessel was sunk in 59 feet,
flooded in all compartments and
listing 58 degrees. The ship was
refloated 24 days after the official
starting date.
More recently, in March of this
year, the Ocean Princess struck a
submerged obstruction shortly af-
Circle 296 on Reader Service Card
ter departing her berth in Belem,
Brazil. The resultant flooding re-
quired that the vessel be beached,
and almost immediately the vessel
started a nearly non-stop descent
into the mud bottom.
Titan, acting on speculation, ar-
rived with divers and equipment to
undertake an immediate underwa-
ter survey, and two days later was
awarded three simultaneous "day
rate" contracts for pollution control
and clean up, for diving services to
survey damage, and for salvage ser-
vices.
The intent was that contracts
would terminate once terms for a
lump sum, "no cure, no pay" contract
had been agreed upon. Prompt ac-
tion was needed at the outset, as the
vessel was settling into the mud at
the rate of more than three feet per
day. The job was a race against the
mud, as deck after deck disappeared
under the surface. Pumping com-
menced after the contract was signed,
and together with Titan's in-house
salvage crew, naval architects and
computer and computer operator, the
vessel was re-floated and delivered
to a safe anchorage with a nine de-
grees list to port just 38 hours later.
For more information on Titan
Maritime,
Circle 3 on Reader Service Card
Trellex Fender Opens New
Office In South America
The Trellex Fender Division, part
of Sweden's Svedala Industries, has
opened a new office in Santiago,
South America, to strengthen the
position it has established there.
Trellex also has an office in Kuala
Lumpur, which it opened in 1991,
and continues to grow.
The Trellex V-fender is a simple
design based upon a modular sys-
tem with UHMW-PE low friction
facing. The fenders are manufac-
tured under high pressure and tem-
perature, which makes the process
unique. Trellex has won many con-
tracts throughout the world and also
has an exclusive marketing agree-
ment with CRP of the U.K., which
allows Trellex to promote foam-filled
floating fenders.
Texas Drydock To Convert
Rigs For Cliffs Drilling
TDI Offshore, a subsidiary of
Texas Drydock, Inc., Orange, Texas,
and Cliffs Drilling have entered into
a construction contract for two rig
conversions.
Construction work on the Cliffs
Rigs 8 and 10 will be performed at
TDI Offshore's Sabine yard. Work
will involve the conversion of both
rigs from the drilling to the produc-
tion mode. With the delivery of these
two conversions, TDI will have com-
pleted a total of three such conver-
sions to date for Cliff's. TDI Offshore
is involved in the new construction,
repair and turnkey modification of
offshore rigs, and the drydocking
and repair of oceangoing barges.
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118 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
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