May 18 - Three trans-ocean towage operations by marine contractor Fairmount Marine demonstrate the global reach of the Rotterdam-based heavy lift transportation operator's five modern long distance 250-tonne bollard pull super tugs.
The range of operations consisted of: the delivery of semi-submersible drilling rig Scarabeo 6 in Rotterdam, after a tow from offshore Egypt; the successful towage of semi-submersible drilling rig ODN Tay IV towards Brazil; and the towage of rig Ocean Whittington from offshore Belem, Brazil, to the Gulf.
Fairmount's tug Fairmount Expedition delivered the semi-submersible drilling rig Scarabeo 6 safely to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for a drydock period at shipyard Keppel-Verolme. The 27-year old Scarabeo 6, owned by Italian offshore company Saipem, was towed from offshore Abu Qir, Egypt, towards Rotterdam over a distance of 5,294 km. The tow was executed by Fairmount Expedition together with tug Normand Neptun at an average speed of 5.7 knots. A bunker stop was made in Algaciras, Spain. For this job Fairmount Expedition was contracted by EDT Offshore Egypt.
Meanwhile, Fairmount's tug Fairmount Sherpa has towed the rig ODN Tay IV from Las Palmas towards al location offshore Rio de Janeiro,Brazil. For this job Fairmount Marine was contracted by Odebrecht Oil and Gas for the third time in a row.
ODN Tay IV is a semi-submersible drilling rig for deep water operations owned by Odebrecht Oil & Gas, part of leading Brazilian multinational Odebrecht. The rig has undergone an upgrading at a shipyard at Las Palmas, Canary Islands. For her next assignment for Brazilian oil company Petrobras the ODN Tay IV had to be towed to Brazil.
Tug Fairmount Sherpa towed the ODN Tay IV over a distance of 6,115 km from Las Palmas to a location offshore Rio de Janeiro. The towage took just 30 days, at an average speed of 5.2 knots. Upon arrival Fairmount Sherpa was requested to stay connected to ODN Tay IV to perform heading control duties during the inward clearance of the rig and preparations prior departure to the field.
Gulf stream
Fairmount's tug Fairmount Alpine has towed the rig Ocean Whittington from offshore Belem, Brazil, to offshore Galveston, USA. For this job Fairmount Marine was contracted by the rig's owner, Diamond Offshore Drilling, for which Fairmount has performed a series of towages in recent years.
Ocean Whittington is a semi-submersible drilling rig for deep water operations. The rig has worked offshore the northern Brazilian coast since 2009. To tow the rig to the Gulf, Fairmount Marine mobilised tug Fairmount Alpine, which was in South Africa following escort services for bulk carrier Vale Beijing.
When Fairmount Alpine arrived at the location of the Ocean Whittington offshore Belem, she was requested to perform heading control duties to the rig prior the start of the towage. Upon readiness of the Ocean Whittington the convoy departed for the journey towards offshore Galveston. The tow over a distance of 5,833 km was performed by the Fairmount Alpine with an average speed of 7.8 knots.
