Tanker at anchor for months ?

NUTLEY BOY

Maybe it is just my imagination. I could swear that I have been looking at the same ship at anchor for months off Dun Laoghaire.

According to Dublin Port's shiny new website the ship arrived last August and is called the IVER ABILITY.

According to Marinetraffic.com's her name is IVER ABILITY but her picture shows the name on the hull as St. Charlotte.

Why would a tanker be at rest for so long ? Is she just being used as a floating storage facility ? Just curious.

neris

seems she used to be called st charlotte. maybe issues with her over money. its not uncommon for crews not to have been paid for months and other debts outstanding that would stop a ship entering port. was a ship a few years back moored up beside the east link for a very long time as the crew hadnt been paid other money was owed and the ship was basically impounded and sold off for a 1/3 of her value then taken out into the bay by the new owners for weeks to be made ready to sail.

neris

Im doubting this is the story for that ship but seems few tankers are being used as storage around europe

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-11/oil-tankers-used-to-store-millions-of-barrels-as-land-sites-fill

Atlantic Dawn

Tanker still there, wonder will the crew get home for Christmas?

Tabnabs

Some crew changes have already been done, rest will go home when contract is up.

NUTLEY BOY

She is still there as I write....

What do they do for bunkers and fresh water and food ?

Atlantic Dawn

NUTLEY BOY wrote: »

She is still there as I write....

What do they do for bunkers and fresh water and food ?

Likely they have a desalination plant on board for fresh water.

Atlantic Dawn

I see there's 4 more tankers beside it now.

Tabnabs

NUTLEY BOY wrote: »

She is still there as I write....

What do they do for bunkers and fresh water and food ?

She gets permission to go into Dublin Port once in a while to bunker (diesel for the genny) and load up on pot water. Provisions are delivered at huge expense in the meantime.

neris

Seems there was an explosion on her a while back

http://afloat.ie/port-news/dublin-port/item/34549-christmas-on-dublin-bay-for-iver-ability-tanker-investigation-into-cargo-reaction-continues

Tabnabs

The word is she'll go to Rotterdam once they've figured out how to get the cargo out without causing another explosion. She will probably need new cargo tanks, a massive job. Talk of a sister ship in the same situation and also waiting for resolution before she can haul up the anchor and head off too.

Atlantic Dawn

I see IVER ABILITY now docked in Dublin Port.

WHL

Allowed to dock during Storm Barbara
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/delayed-ship-prepares-for-a-dublin-bay-christmas-1.2916926

listermint

It's actually quite weird the hush hush going on about this vessel by Dublin port authorities and the lack of detail about the cargo. I presume entirely because of its incredibly dangerous nature volatility and environmental impact. The only reference to the truth is on that website linked above.

Nightshifter

Nothing to do with money or non payment of crew....they would of engaged in mutiny long since if that were the case.
There was a "pressure release" during operations in Dublin Port.
There was a subsequent "pressure release" while anchored in Dublin Bay.
As there is a cloud hanging over the vessel it will not be allowed to discharge its cargo in any oil facility and will remain there until the insurers decide who will take the blame and pay for the meter that has been running since 16th August

elastico

Made the RTE news the other night, the reporter sailed out around it in a small boat. Much the same story as discussed here.

Pat Dunne

Nightshifter wrote: »

Nothing to do with money or non payment of crew....they would of engaged in mutiny long since if that were the case.
There was a "pressure release" during operations in Dublin Port.
There was a subsequent "pressure release" while anchored in Dublin Bay.
As there is a cloud hanging over the vessel it will not be allowed to discharge its cargo in any oil facility and will remain there until the insurers decide who will take the blame and pay for the meter that has been running since 16th August

Now, would that be a "slow and measured pressure release" or and "extremely fast and abrupt pressure release"?

Nightshifter

Pat Dunne wrote: »

Now, would that be a "slow and measured pressure release" or and "extremely fast and abrupt pressure release"?

The cargo belongs to one of the biggest oil companies in the world and the ship is on a long term time charter to them.
The aforementioned but anonymous oil company has astonishing resources to control media leaks as to what happened and the current status of the ship/cargo.
It would be a very brave reporter indeed who would pick away at the bones of this story.
And his editor would have to have a new career plan in mind if he were to release the story into the Irish media.
Suffice it to say the other vessel mentioned which is absolutely not a sister ship of the vessel in the bay languished at anchor in Rotterdam for a considerable length of time with a contaminated cargo.
Nothing too risky and it was well contained without incident until cargo's owner dealt with it.
There is nothing surer than the fact that when blame has been apportioned and the insurers pay up the vessel in the bay is going to oil tanker heaven and will be decommissioned.
It WILL be scrapped as none of the refineries will allow it in to load given its chequered recent history.
More to do with misfortune than bad design or negligence.

man98

Nightshifter wrote: »

anonymous oil company

Didn't RTÉ report the name of the company? I won't name it for fear fear of litigation however . I wouldn't want to slander the company with such a great reputation out on the west coast :pac::pac::pac: .

I'm curious to know how exactly bitumen could react with something during unloading, surely it's only contacting metal? And why would it only occur now despite the fact she's been in service many years?

vicwatson

man98 wrote: »

Didn't RTÉ report the name of the company? I won't name it for fear fear of litigation however . I wouldn't want to slander the company with such a great reputation out on the west coast :pac::pac::pac: .

I'm curious to know how exactly bitumen could react with something during unloading, surely it's only contacting metal? And why would it only occur now despite the fact she's been in service many years?

You could infer the name. Such as would you find them on a beach?

AndrewJRenko

Shell named as the owners of the cargo;

http://www.rte.ie/news/player/2017/0113/21115220-owners-of-anchored-ship-say-no-firm-date-has-been-set-for-departure/

Pat Dunne

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Shell named as the owners of the cargo;

http://www.rte.ie/news/player/2017/0113/21115220-owners-of-anchored-ship-say-no-firm-date-has-been-set-for-departure/

At last someone with Conjones, thank you Andrew Renko.

Nightshifter

NUTLEY BOY wrote: »

Maybe it is just my imagination. I could swear that I have been looking at the same ship at anchor for months off Dun Laoghaire.

According to Dublin Port's shiny new website the ship arrived last August and is called the IVER ABILITY.

According to Marinetraffic.com's her name is IVER ABILITY but her picture shows the name on the hull as St. Charlotte.

Why would a tanker be at rest for so long ? Is she just being used as a floating storage facility ? Just curious.

Bitumen isn't the problem
It was the previous cargo that was the issue

NUTLEY BOY

Out of curiosity in what state is the bitumen carried i.e. as some form of solid or molten ? If the latter how do they keep it on the move ?

Nightshifter

NUTLEY BOY wrote: »

Out of curiosity in what state is the bitumen carried i.e. as some form of solid or molten ? If the latter how do they keep it on the move ?

It's transported and stored in the shore facility at a temperature of around 150 degrees Celsius
Heated on board vessel using heating coils
(Like a massive immersion heater)

TOEJOE

Where exactly is the ship i have a few driveways to do?

alphasully

Sometimes referred to as the 'cornflake company'

roundymac

Something similer happed to this vessel in 1979. She had been sold to Greek owners in 1965 and while trading as the Aramon a cargo of bitumen she was carrying solidified in her holds. She was scrapped at Kaoshiung with the bitumen still on board.

NUTLEY BOY

I see that she is gone.

At 14:50 [Dublin time] she is heading south, abeam Fishguard bound for the Delfzijl.

neris

From afloat.ie


Iver Ability, the red hulled ship, anchored in Dublin Bay since August, left its six–month mooring yesterday, bound for the Dutch Port of Delfzijl.

The long term anchorage of the ship followed a 'reaction' onboard the Asphalt/Bitumen tanker during her transport of Bitumen into Dublin Port this summer.

The ship cut a lonely sight over Christmas 2016, as 'discussions with charterers' for a port of discharge for the vessel’s cargo continued.

While at anchorage in Dublin, the ship was fully operational with all seafarers performing normal duties and standard crew changes taking place, according to the ship's managers.