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Hitachi Zosen To Build Giant Submersible Barge Hitachi Zosen recently received an order from Canmar/Reading & Bates Limited Partnership, a joint venture of Canadian Marine Drill- ing Ltd., Canada, and Reading & Bates Drilling Company (USA), to build the world's biggest submersi- ble barge for the development of offshore oilfields in the Beaufort Sea. The giant barge is a steel struc- ture designed to sit directly on the seafloor and support the Single Steel Drilling Caisson (SSDC), which is an offshore drilling vessel now in operation in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, and is called the "steel mat base." The barge is 168 meters long, 110 meters wide, 13.5 meters high and has a deck area on top of 9,720 square meters. The weight of the steel to be used is approximately 34,800 tons, and it has two aft tow- ers for mating with the SSDC and one forward control room tower. It can be towed to a designated area with the SSDC on deck, and then can sink and float horizontally by gravity feed ballasting system with the SSDC on top, which en- ables the SSDC to begin operations safely and promptly. The SSDC was converted from a VLCC to an offshore drilling vessel at Hitachi Zosen's Osaka Works, Sa- kai, in 1981-82. The barge will be constructed at the Osaka Works and Ariake Works with an expected delivery date of June 1986. Bailey Offers New 12-Page Navy And Marine Catalog Bailey, a manufacturer of control valves and strainers for the Navy and marine market for over 45 years, recently introduced their new Navy and Marine Catalog. This color catalog features informative cutaway drawings and technical data on their complete line of mil- spec control valves and strainers, including the Bailey Model 30 Pres- sure Reducing Valve, Model 442M Magazine Sprinkler Valve, Model 200A Duplex Strainer and Model 100B "Y" Type Strainer. The newest additions to the Bai- ley line, the Model 1385 Relief Valve for gas services and the Model 825Y-M Reduced Pressure Back- flow Preventer for marine applica- tions, are also featured in this cata- log. For your free copy of the new Bai- ley catalog, Circle 63 on Reader Service Card Samson Ocean Introduces High-Strength Dock Lines —Literature Available dock and anchor lines with high ten- acity and abrasive resistance. The wet-strength retention is made possible using a special pro- cess developed by Allied Fibers and Plastics, and identified as Caprolan 2000 SeaGard. Samson dock and an- chor lines made with the SeaGard nylon are reported to test 35 percent stronger than conventional stranded nylon and 20 percent stronger than conventional braided ropes used in the marine environ- ment. Reportedly, the new Samson high-strength nylon braid has dy- namic elongation which virtually eliminates shock loading from surges and reduces loads on fittings. It is also torque-free which elimi- nates hockles and kinking, and makes the line easy to heave, fake down and pay out. Working loads of the new nylon dock and anchor lines are rated at 20 percent of average tensile which provides over 50 per- cent higher safety margins when compared to three-strand nylons, based on American Boat and Yacht Council standards for vessel loads at anchor. For further information and free literature on the Samson Ocean Sys- tems new high-strength dock and anchor lines, Circle 28 on Reader Service Card SPECIAL DELIVERY When our South American customers needed a flexible alternative to the rigidity of liner scheduling ... The Solution was Simple — SIGNET Provide efficient, low cost transport with flexible load and discharge periods. 10 SIGNET MARINE Ocean Transportation Services A Signet Company 1800 West Loop South • Suite 1600 Houston, Texas 77027 (713) 840-1100 • Telex: 792-049 A major advance in the wet- strength retention of nylon fiber has paved the way for Samson Ocean Systems, Shirley, Mass., to develop November, 1985 Circle 290 on Reader Service Card 37
