Forget Containerable Boats!

[Willallison]

Sometimes we all need to think outside the 'box'. Forget your containerable boats.... think big....

Begs not do the stability calcs for this one!

[longliner45]

are you thinking on the lines of ,,perhaps in the old logger days when,,they would wraft together many logges ,and sort of put them in the shape of a boat??could we do something like that with bulk products and pull them with ocean going tugs?I mean we have plastic tecknology that can keep things together and dry if nesisary ,or a giant tube that can be dragged ,underwater?,,,,just a thought,,longliner

[charmc]

A long time ago, I read of a proposal to transport crude in huge submerged cylinders with submarine tugs. The idea was to allow 1,000,000 dwt and larger tankers, the theory was that the vessel could be huge because there would be no stress from wave action.

[Willallison]

are you thinking on the lines of ......

Actually, when I watched it, I was thinking Holy Crap!:p

[longliner45]

willy cut me a break,,,,,I was thinking for some reason it was howard hughs that moved massive amounts of cut timber like that ,,thinking out of the box is what we need nowadays,this is going to be an interesting thread ,,,,,longliner

[timgoz]

Will,

I had the identical thought!

Tim

[charmc]

I know they avoid the worst weather, but they can't always have dead calm conditions. I'd love to see some photos or video of one of those in heavy seas.

[MikeJohns]

.............
Begs not do the stability calcs for this one!

Actually Will they screwed up too :)

Mighty Servant 3 is shown in that presentation as she was sinking off Angola.

Here's an article:

Wednesday, December 6, 2006


http://www.offshore.no/admin/ewebeditpro2/upload/Mighty%20Servant%203%20Dockwise%20Shipping.jpgAn investigation has been launched after Dockwise’s Mighty Servant 3 vessel sank off the coast of Angolaafter unloading a drilling platform.

Dockwise said the semi submersible heavy transport vessel developed a list and sank after the offloading of the Aleutian Key platform, and is now submerged in 62 meters of water. The drilling platform did not sustain any damage and is underway to its drilling location.

Dockwise said in a statement: “All of the 21 crew of the vessel have been taken off and are on their way to the Port of Luanda on board of one of the supporting vessels on stand by during the offloading. The 83 crew of the drilling platform were all safely on board of the drilling platform at the moment of the incident.”

The vessel is approximately one mile off the North Angolan coast and very close to the entrance of the port of Luanda. Local authorities have been informed and are assisting in the response effort. The cause of the incident is not known at this time, but is being investigated.

The 27,720 dwt. vessel is Dutch flagged and sails with a combination of Dutch and Filipino crew. Families of the crew members have been informed. Crew members will be repatriated to their home destinations as soon as possible.

Mighty Servant 3 has an open deck of 40 metres wide and 140 metres long. The vessel can move cargoes weighing up to 25,000 tons.

[timgoz]

Yes Mike,

That footage of the bow almost submurged to the bridge windows did not seem right. I thought, "man, they must have awesome doors, ports, and hatches, vents and things to. Plus the angle meant everything aft was totally under.

I guess when you push the limits to that extent you sometimes exceed them.

Gotta check out your link. Hope the crew got off intact.

Tim

[timshwak]

I was on the MS3 in Norfolk a couple of months before she sank. It was a huge and impressive ship. They were doing some experimentation for using that type of ship for an at sea offload platform. They put the main deck at the stern even with the water and the bow was still up so they could use landing craft to drop their ramps at the stern and discharge cargo. They also built some "bulkheads" so they could fly hovercraft on to the ship and load cargo. It was a pretty neat experiment and interesting to see. The Army in the past used a similar vessel called the American Comorant to keep vessels pre-positioned in long term storage afloat.

[Willallison]

Thanks Mike,

In that case I'm REALLY glad I didn't do the stability calcs!

Helps to explain some of the pics - which did indeed look quite extraordinary

[charmc]

Just my speculation, but, as my beloved is fond of saying, "It's those little things that make a difference".

Mighty Servant 3 has been well proven. I believe it will come down to failure of a valve to close properly, or something similar, a hardware or a software problem.

Pretty embarrassing, though, when the ship designed to come back to the surface .... doesn't. :o

[charmc]

Mighty Servant 2 a few years back.

"An uncharted rock probably caused the capsize of heavylift vessel M/V Mighty Servant 2, and the loss of 5 lives, in Nov. 1999. The ship's owner, Belgian company Dockwise, says a new, specially commissioned hydrographic survey of the area near the Indonesian island of Singkep has discovered a 'single isolated pinnacle of granite directly on the ship's course.' The rock is not on existing charts."

[longliner45]

no a valve should be compansated by a massive pump...pumps should always be more powerful than the water intake from a bad valve,,these are just examples of bad planing and design,,,,,longliner

[Pericles]

http://www.smit.com/sitefactor/page.asp?pageid=1095

Pericles

[RHP]

http://www.cargolaw.com/2006nightmare_mightyserve3.html

You can spend hours on this website...