SHIP REPAIR Energy Service’s transformation of the vessel from basic icebreaking barge into a fully outfitted “Arctic Containment System,” designed as the fourth line of defense against spill incidents in the Arctic. In order to prepare the barge for outfitting with tons of new equipment and structures, Vigor did dry dock work under the waterline, installed sea chests, installed mooring winches and converted the tanks to handle sludge and oily water. The barge is owned by Crowley and chartered to Shell. • Klamath: The 350-foot Klamath barge arrived at Vigor’s Portland shipyard as a petroleum tank barge and left an oil spill recovery vessel (OSRV) equipped to assist Shell’s skimming and booming operations in the event of a spill. Vigor ice classed this vessel by fabricating and installing a 30 feet high section of one-inch thick plate around the forward rake of the vessel. • KulluK and noble discoverer: A little more than a year ago, Vigor teams in Seattle completed significant safety and environmental upgrades on the Kulluk, Shell’s ice-classed semi-submersible drill rig, and the Noble Discoverer, a 512-foot ice-classed drill ship. Vigor Marine’s mobilized team of more than 500 skilled workers completed upgrades that would normally take up to six months in just 10 weeks. In addition to its energy work, this year Vigor completed projects on vessels including the Chief Seattle Fireboat, Washington State Ferries, Military Sealift Command ships, U.S. Army landing craft, fishing vessels and numerous barges. One of the more interesting projects at Vigor’s Everett shipyard was the refit of the 97 ft, 29-year-old Chief Seattle Fireboat earlier this year. Adam Beck, President of Alaska Drydock and Director of Regional Operations for Vigor Industrial, oversaw the
fireboat refit. According to Beck, the finished vessel is now capable of pumping 10,000 gallons of water per minute and the work will easily extend its service life by another 20 years. All structures from the main deck up were replaced. The engine room was gutted and all new engine foundations and structures were installed to convert the vessel from a triple to a double screw. Vigor installed shafting and propellers along with two new bow thrusters.
NAVY, COAST GUARD REPAIRS Vigor is also a major provider of repair and modernization services for the Navy in the Pacific Northwest. For more than two decades, Vigor companies have worked on Navy vessels including nuclearpowered aircraft carriers (CVN-68 class), guided missile destroyers (DDG-51 class), and frigates (FFG-7 class). Vigor is in the midst of its third consecutive five-year Multi-Ship/Multi-Option contact for carrier work, and is competing to secure a fourth MSMO contract for carrier work this year. Vigor has also competed for and won MSMO contracts to drydock and repair destroyers and frigates. Over the last ten years, Vigor companies have performed repair and maintenance work during numerous availabilities for five DDGs and FFGs. According to Gene Kegley, Vice President of Vigor Shipyards, Vigor is the primary repair and maintenance provider for the Coast Guard’s icebreaker fleet. In June, it completed work on the Healy, including standard maintenance along with work on the ships crane and anchor system, tank preservation and engine work. In December 2012, Vigor completed the overhaul of the Polar Star designed to extend the service life of the vessel by seven to 10 years, “on time and millions of dollars under budget. We know the icebreakers inside and out,” says Kegley. ■
August 2013 MARINE LOG 23