MV Blue Marlin

Blue Marlin carrying USS Cole.
Career
Name: Blue Marlin
Owner: Dockwise Limited
Operator: Dockwise Limited
Port of registry:  Netherlands Antilles, Curacao
 Panama 2000-2003
Builder: CSBC Corporation, Taiwan (Kaohsiung, Taiwan)
Laid down: 8 April 1999
Launched: 23 December 1999
Completed: 25 April 2000
Identification: ABS class no:
Call sign: PJFM
DNV ID: 20651
IMO number: 9186338
MMSI no.: 306589000
Status: Operational
Notes: [1]
General characteristics
Class and type:A1 General Cargo Carrier E0 DK(+) PWDK TMON
Tonnage:51,821 GT
15,547 NT
76,061 DWT
Length:224.8 m (738 ft)
Beam:63.1 m (207 ft)
Draught:13.3 m (44 ft)
Notes:[1]
Blue Marlin preparing to offload Ocean Monarch
Blue Marlin transporting the U.S. Navy minesweepers USS Raven and USS Cardinal.
Sea-Based X-Band Radar enters Pearl Harbor on 9 January 2006 on its way to Adak Island, Alaska, transported by MV Blue Marlin.
HMAS Canberra at Ferrol

Blue Marlin is a semi-submersible heavy lift ship from Dockwise Shipping of the Netherlands. Designed to transport very large semi-submersible drilling rigs above the transport ship's deck, it is equipped with 38 cabins to accommodate 60 people, a workout room, sauna and swimming facilities. Blue Marlin and her sister ship MV Black Marlin comprise the Marlin class of heavy lift ship.

History

Blue Marlin and her sister ship were owned by Offshore Heavy Transport of Oslo, Norway, from their construction, in April 2000 and November 1999 respectively, until 6 July 2001, when they were purchased by Dockwise. The U.S. Navy hired Blue Marlin from Offshore Heavy Transport to move the destroyer USS Cole back to the United States after the warship was damaged by Al-Qaeda[2] suicide bombers while anchored in the port of Aden, Yemen. During the latter part of 2003, work done on Blue Marlin boosted its capacity and added two retractable propulsors to improve maneuverability. The ship re-entered service in January 2004. Following these improvements, Blue Marlin delivered the oil platform Thunder Horse PDQ, weighing 60,000 tons, to Corpus Christi, Texas, for completion.

In July 2005 Blue Marlin moved the gas refinery Snøhvit from its construction site in Cádiz to Hammerfest, an 11 day trip.[3] This transport was filmed for the TV show Extreme Engineering on the Discovery Channel, and also the TV show Mega Movers on the History Channel.

In November 2005, Blue Marlin left Corpus Christi, Texas, to move the massive Sea-based X-band Radar to Adak, Alaska, via the southern tip of South America and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It arrived at Pearl Harbor on 9 January 2006, having travelled 15,000 miles. In January 2007, the Blue Marlin was employed to move two jack-up rigs, the Rowan Gorilla VI and the GlobalSantaFe Galaxy II, from Halifax Harbour to the North Sea.

On 16 June 2012, the ship arrived in Ferrol Harbour in preparation for transporting the amphibious warship HMAS Canberra to Melbourne, Australia.[4] The incomplete Australian ship was lifted onto Blue Marlin on 4 August 2012 and was scheduled to sail on 12 August, bound for Australia BAE Systems shipyard in Williamstown.[5][6] The ship passed the Port Phillip Heads marking its arrival in Melbourne on 17 October 2012.[7]

Specifications

Initial

Post-2004

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Vessel Info: Blue Marlin". DNV Exchange. Det Norske Veritas. 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  2. ↑ Brian Whitaker (15 October 2001). "Attack on the USS Cole: The Bin Laden connection'". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  3. ↑ Nina Berglund (11 July 2005). "'Snow White' gets her heart". Aftenposten. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  4. ↑ "El "Blue Marlin" permanece desde ayer atracado en Navantia Fene". diario de Ferrol (in Spanish). 17 June 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  5. ↑ "Navantia efectúa con éxito el ´encaje´ del ´Canberra´". Laopinióncoruña (in Spanish). 4 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "El "Blue Marlin" zarpará en 7 días hacia Australia". La voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 6 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  7. ↑ "Orange giant Blue Marlin floats into Port Phillip Bay". 17 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.

External links

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