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12 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News Topaz Delivers $75m O&G Project Topaz Energy and Marine delivered the deck structure of a Mobile Offshore Pro- duction Unit and storage (MOPUstor). The MOPUstor deck was constructed by Topaz Fabrication and Construction; part of the Topaz Engineering division under a subcontract from Single Buoy Moor- ings Inc for its client, Talisman Energy Norge AS. The value of Topaz Engineer- ing’s portion of the work was $75m. Topaz’s scope of work was fabrication and construction of the hull and topsides of the MOPU, project completion took more than two years with the workforce peaking at 1,400 men. The MOPUstor weighed 12,400 tons at load out and in- volved more than seven million man- hours all completed without a single Lost Time Incident (LTI). The MOPU was constructed in Topaz’s Abu Dhabi yard (ADYARD) and was transported to the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The unit was loaded out onto a heavy lift transportation vessel for the 5,000km trip to Norway. The MOPU will be deployed in the ‘Yme’ field approximately 110km offshore on the Norwegian continental shelf at a water depth of 92 meters. USNS Washington Chambers Launched USNS Washington Chambers, the Navy’s newest ship in the Lewis and Clark-class of dry cargo/ammunition ships, was christened and launched Sept. 11, during a morning ceremony at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego. The 689-foot Chambers, des- ignated T-AKE 11, slid into the water for the first time as the ship’s sponsor broke the traditional bottle of champagne against the bow. Chambers’ sponsor is Loretta Penn, wife of former Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment and former Acting Sec- retary of the Navy, B.J. Penn. Chambers is expected to be delivered to the Navy’s Military Sealift Command next year following a series of tests and sea trials. “This is a monumental day,” said Capt. Michael Flannigan, the ship’s civil serv- ice master. “We remember the 9/11 at- tacks and launch this great ship. I’m honored to be a part of it, and can’t wait to get onboard, get to work and get out to sea and do what we do best – supporting the warfighters.” The ship honors Navy Capt. Washing- ton Irving Chambers, a pioneer in Navy aviation who arranged the world's first airplane flight from a warship, confirm- ing the potential for carrier-based naval aviation. The flight – flown by aviator Eugene Ely – was from light cruiser USS Birmingham Nov. 14, 1910. MSC operates approximately 110 non- combatant, civilian-crewed ships that re- plenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically prepo- sition combat cargo at sea around the world and move military cargo and sup- plies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners. NEWS 'Oldest' steamship heads for new home on Thames According to a Sept. 13 report from BBC News, the SS Robin, a ship thought to be the last steamcoaster in the world, is preparing to head to her new home after a £1.9m restoration in Suf- folk. The steamcoaster, built in 1890 and listed on the National Historic Fleet register, has been converted into a float- ing museum. She will stay at the Port of Tilbury for up to a year while a decision is made on her London base. (Source: BBC News) Largest Mobile Harbor Crane on U.S. East Coast In August Liebherr, supplier of port equipment, delivered a Mobile Harbor Crane, type LHM 500S to Rukert Termi- nals. The Rukert Terminals is located at the Port of Baltimore and specializes in the handling of metals, ores, salt, alloys, and other dry bulk and break-bulk car- goes and containers. Maritime Deployed Laser System Shows Lethality Tests of the U.S. Navy's Maritime Laser Demonstration (MLD) system conducted recently at the Potomac River Test Range reportedly have confirmed the laser weapon system's readiness to pro- ceed with at-sea testing later this year, according to Northrop Grumman Corpo- ration, prime contractor. Operating from a fixed site on land, the MLD weapon system fired a laser beam at a number of stationary targets, including represen- tative small boat sections, across the Potomac River, company executives said. The laser burned through small boat sections in these tests, conducted in late August and early September. "We have shown that the Maritime Laser Demonstrator's design is as lethal at longer ranges as other previously demonstrated approaches," said Steve Hixson, vice president of Advanced Con- cepts, Space and Directed Energy Sys- tems for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. Photo cour tesy Liebherr-W erk Nenzing GmbH “Single largest offshore unit ever built in the Middle East”
