View non-flash version
R. Allan-Designed Fireboat 2 Commissioned For Hong Kong Service In November 1995, the Royal Hong Kong Marine Department (RHKMD) commissioned its Fireboat 2 for service within all coastal territories of Hong Kong. The latest addition to the RHKMD fleet was designed by Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, Canada, and constructed in Singapore by Greenbay Marine Pte. Ltd. after an internationally competitive tender. The basic con- figuration and operational require- ments were defined by RHKMD. Hull construction is all-welded ABS-grade steel. The deckhouse, wheelhouse and upper works are of welded marine-grade aluminum alloy. Classification and survey was done directly by the Royal Hong Kong Marine Department. The vessel configuration consists of a main hull comprising fore- peak, crew accommodation spacer, machinery space, foam tank space/hold, and steering flat. The main deckhouse forward includes officers' accommodations, firefight- ing crew seating space, galley and mess area. The wheelhouse fea- tures all-around visibility. The propulsion system is a con- r. . .,. r. , . TTr, . . . r. r. *l* • «•• • 1 L* r— ventional twin-screw configuration with Caterpillar 3508TA main engines, each rated 716 kW at 1,800 rpm, driving Ulstein model 22-AGSC controllable-pitch pro- pellers through an Ulstein re- verse/reduction gearbox. The vessel's firefighting system comprises three main fire pumps, two of which are driven by PTO off the front end of each main engine, one driven by an independent diesel. The system's pump capaci- ty is 5,400 1pm (x 3) at 15 bar. The vessel also features a 14.8-ft. (4.5-m) RIB rescue boat and a hydraulic stores/utility crane with a 3.6-ton capacity. Vessels of the same class but with increased firefighting capacity are currently under development. For more information on Robert Allan Circle 61 on Reader Service Card Fireboat 2 Particulars Robert Allan Ltd. Builder Greenbay Marine Pte. Ltd. Length o.a. . . . 105 ft. (32 m) Beam, molded 21.3 ft. (6.5 m) Depth, molded 10.9 ft. (3.3 m) Load draft . . . 5.6 ft. (1.7 m) Speed (full load) 15 kn Fireboat 2 Equipment Main engines Caterpillar Propellers Ulstein Reverse/reduction gears Ulstein Alternatives Conference, the An- napolis Laboratory received this honor for its technical leadership in CFC refrigerant phaseout. Beginning in 1999, backfit modi- fication kits using HFC-236fa, an acceptable refrigerant alternative to the current ozone-depleting CFC-114 fluid, will transition the fleet. Widespread commercial use is expected from the Navy's lead in developing this alternative. New construction destroyers, air- craft carriers and submarines will receive high-efficiency HFC-134a air conditioning systems designed and developed by Mr. Dick Helmick and his team. The cul- mination of all these research and development efforts will be the elimination of the Navy's use of the ozone-depleting CFC-114 refriger- ant by 2008. NNS Receives Top Rating Tenneco's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) has received the U.S. government's highest rat- ing for excellence in workplace health and safety. With the award, the shipyard becomes one of approximately 200 work sites in 38D capital expenditures. The new FPSO will have oil storage capaci- ty of about 1.2 million barrels and will be equipped with a 12-point spread mooring system for instal- lation in about 600 ft. (182.8 m) of seawater at the Zafiro field, Block B, offshore the West African nation of Equatorial Guinea. The vessel will initially accept production from eight subsea wells. Two 40,000-barrel-per-day production trains will be installed to process the crude oil, which then will be offloaded through a floating hose to export tankers that will be moored in tandem with the FPSO. DNV Offers ISM Course Instruction Det Norske Veritas (DNV) is offering a two-day training course focusing on the International Safety Management (ISM) Code. It will also discuss basic principles on how to develop a safety man- agement system in compliance with the ISM Code. The course is scheduled for mid-January in New Jersey. For information call (201) 343-0800. Maritime Reporter/Engineering News Comsat Upgrades Inmarsat-C Service In POR Comsat Mobile Communications has completed a major upgrade of its C-Link satellite messaging ser- vice in the Pacific Ocean Region (POR). The service provider reports that customers will now find it easier, faster and less expensive to send e-mail, telex and fax messages via C-Link. For more information from Comsat Circle 70 on Reader Service Card NSWC Lab Efforts Rewarded By EPA In recognition of the Navy's exceptional contributions to global environmental protection, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presented the Naval Surface Warfare Center's Annapolis Laboratory with the 1995 EPA Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award. As one of 61 organizations from 14 countries that conferred during the 1995 International Chloro- fluorocarbon (CFC) and Halon America to have the "Star" rating from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. NNS's 19,000 employees make it the largest single workplace in the upper echelon of OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program. For more information on NNS Circle 71 on Reader Service Card Oceaneering Awarded Contract To Provide FPSO Oceaneering International said a subsidiary company has been awarded a contract by Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., a sub- sidiary of Mobil Corp., to provide a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) system. The contract is a day rate lease arrangement which has an initial term of three years, with a target- ed commencement date of August 1996. Oceaneering will purchase and convert an existing 268,000- ton crude oil tanker into an FPSO system for use by Mobil at an esti- mated capital cost of $70 million. Oceaneering intends to arrange debt financing to fund the required
