Dynamically flexible beauty..

Dynamically flexible beauty..

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Cat and Mouse game

British has governed the "rock" for 200 years. and the Spanish want it back. Constant "tit for tat" infringement of  boarders etc. Last couple of weeks Spanish fishing boats and Spanish Coast guard vessels, have been crossing into Gibraltar waters, causing UK patrol boats to try and "chase" them away, peace fully(verbally) over the VHF, informing them of the Violation of the UN rule of "right of innocent passage"(below). Last week Spanish coast guard arrested a Gibraltar fishing boat(on "British" waters) during a couple of hours , which caused a diplomatic reaction.
Took following pictures during yesterdays cat and mouse game.

Britterna har regerat paa "klippan" i 200 aar. Spanjorerna vill ha tillbaka den. Graensoeverskridande  vedergaellningar hoer till vardagen. De senaste tvaa veckorna har Spanska fiske och kustbevaknings fartyg roert sig inanfoer Gibraltars vatten. Detta har resulterat i Brittiska patrull baatars staendiga VHF tjatande om att de bryter mot FN regel om fri passage igenom andras vatten. Foerra veckan arresterade Spansk kustbevakning en Gibraltar fiskebaat (Paa Brittiskt vatten) under naagra timmar, detta ledde till diplomtiska reaktioner. Tog foeljande bilder under gaardagens "katt och raatta" lek.
 Spanish Coast Guard baby siting the Spanish fisher man, British Police trying to chase him away using VHF radio, telling him that he has been reported to higher authorities.
 Cool fisher men, ignoring the Brittish police on Brittish waters.
 Brittish patrol boat can also just sit and watch.

 Brittish police boat on our Port side,
while the Spanish Coast guard sneaking by on our Starboard side.

Quite a fast boat, saw him go very fast the other day, jumping the waves



Sunday, July 22, 2012

Compassionate Repatriation

Managed to get a crew man off the vessel today. He got news today about a death of a close relative.
It is also a part of our reality. I myself was also serving a contract while my father fought his final battle against cancer. Managed to talk to him on the phone a week before his passing and thank him for my life, say good bye and "see you on the other side".  

Lyckades faa en sjoeman av baaten idag. Han fickk idag besked paa att en naera anhoerig gaatt bort.
Detta aer ju tyvaerr ocksaa en del av vaar verklighet. Jag var sjaelv ute och tjaenstgjorde naer min fader utkaempade sitt sista slag emot cancern. Lyckades i alla fall tala med honom i telefon en vecka innan han "laemnade in". Hann med att tacka foer mitt liv, saega farvael och att vi ses paa andra sidan.    

Neighbour "Gustav" assisting in our digging a FW well , preventing us from falling into the pit. 
 Leo himself, yes..managed to find water...
 Brother Thomas and Lennie
 And dog Zenta.... Below, Leo visiting Sweden, proud of his house, that he built with help of a few friends.

 In the shade while youngsters playing on the beach
 Leo Burial Tonga Tapu, SW. Pacific. His home since 1984

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Wait and Work Gibraltar cont...


 Various fishes, I do not know this type.
 Science on a high level, close to Marocco.
 Change/replacement of DGPS.
 New stain and varnish..very nice


Safety shower"tick"! Working.
 Sun setting in the west
 Sun setting further in the west behind the rock.
 A foggie day. Tool box meeting on the hatch, surely important things to discuss?
Ch.Off greasing away on his cranes...

Monday, July 16, 2012

How we worked..what we did

"Flare stack" of an FPSO. 


Floating Production Storage and Off- loading platform (FPSO).  Common “set up” with drill rig, off-loading buoy and a tanker getting loaded. For obvious reasons are most focus on all equipment under the sea surface.

We are planting houndreds of "Ocean Bottom Nodes"(OBN), on the sea bed underneath various
oil installations, spread a carpet. These nodes record data, which after the nodes have been recovered again, and data extracted, assist the client in analysing the reservoir beneath the seabed.   



Screen shot of the monitor, used for DP navigating around obstacles. “number clusters” in neat rows indicate/identify “Nodes”(recording devices) that we plant all around, and under the installation and equipment.


(for better picture, click on it)
“3D Passage planning”; There are restrictions on how close we are allowed to come various types of equipment, both vertically and horizontally in the water column. The sequence of event is very carefully planned.
DP operator(Bridge Officer),  handing over the watch, incl. information on the stage of the operation.  
Barges around installations complicate the operation, bringing additional anchor chains etc, into the water column.

Senior Systems Mechanic  on “Node deck”, launching the basket containing 6 “Nodes”, down to working depth for the waiting ROV(Remotely Operated Vehicle), which in turn “ fly out” and place each individual node in its dedicated position on the sea bed. 
Instrument room. “Hub” of the operation and “open” radio communication with all departments involved, ROV-pilots (in the back ground), Observers (preparing the Nodes), Node deck and Bridge (DP operators, moving Hugin in position).
ROV pilots busy, flying and planting nodes.

Single Buoy Mooring(SBM)  “Loading buoy” where Tanker vessels connect and stay for one or two days, filling up from the FPSO. Off course also properly secured with anchors and chains/wires.
How it looks on the "Win frog" screen, vessels approach, and the ROV "flying" out with the node.
Munin Explorer, is our source vessel, she is moving over the Nodes “popping” her Air guns. This sound wave will penetrate the sea bed, and reflect back to the Geo and Hydrophones of the Nodes. Data is recorded and after the Nodes have been picked up again, it will be analysed. First onboard and later by the clients.
 (Below two Photos from my previous 2D/Source vessel.)
  Explaining how the actual "air gun" (source) arrangement looks like. “Float” on top and many gun-devices hanging underneath. The “popping” is very scientific, the volume of air, the exact sequence the individual guns are fired. We are talking milliseconds. The individual distance in between all guns, the depth etc…
   
  Fast Rescue Boat training in North Sea. Frequent training of our on board rescue team.

Helicopter monitoring, from our bridge. These operations can be quite frequent, sometimes two landing per day. We’re often crew changing by means of chopper as well.

Please have a look on the short animation linked below. Bare in mind the "buffering" could take up to a minute depending on your internet speed.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/74368869/Photos%20%26%20Film/Seabird-movie.june2009.ROV.wmv


Thursday, July 12, 2012

Clock around the Rock

“Bill and Haley”, “Dick and Tom” are frequently racing around the Rock with their war planes. As if a competition is on? UK military constantly making their presence known. Training and exercises, planes, boats, ribs and submarines. But we are not allowed to play with our Fast Rescue Boat.
Both UK and Spain have problems with smaller fast boats doing smuggling rounds in the area. So they do not want us to launch the boats. It is also prohibited to drive cars on all of the sandy beaches. Smugglers are lazy buggers and drive their cars all the way into the water for their "pick up's".

Engelska militaer flygplan flyger dagligen rundor runt “Klippan” som om vore det en taevling, eller rondellkoerningsoevning? Engelsk militaer demonstrerar flitigt sin naervaro genom flyg och flytetyg av olika slag, plan, baatar, ribbor och ubaatar. Men vi faar inte leka med vaaran snabba raeddnings baat. Baade England och Spanien har problem med smugglare utmed kusterna, saa de vill inte att vi sjoesaetter vaara baatar. Det aer aeven foerbjudet att koera bil paa deras milsvida straender. De lata smugglarna koer sina bilar helt ned till vattnet foer att haemta skeppningar med knark.
 Tornados "Clocking around the Rock"

 Hercules dropping supplies and people


 Foggie foggigen