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MORAN ASSISTS SMIT WITH FLOATING DRYDOCK  Moran helps Smit International on the final phase of a
15,860 mile journey from Shanghai, China to Bath, MaineIn February, 2001, off the coast of Maine near the entrance to the Kennebec River, three of Moran's large tugs rendezvoused with Smit International's 250 foot 22,000 horsepower tug, Smitwijs London to tow a 750 foot long 180 foot wide floating drydock up the Kennebec River to the Bath Iron Works General Dynamics Facility. Bath Iron Works is a leading designer and builder of technologically advanced naval ships, including the AEGIS destroyer. The drydock will become a main component of the Bath Iron Works' new state of the art land-level ship transfer facility in Maine. The Smitwijs London and the drydock left the coast of China in August, 2000. Although the trip from China to Maine was originally scheduled to take 90 days, a typhoon off the coast of Korea caused the drydock to break away from the Smitwijs London and float free for three days. To assess the damage and make repairs, the drydock was taken to Pusan, Korea where it encountered a second typhoon. Further delays occurred when the drydock met with gale force winds off the coast of Maine ultimately causing the trip from China to Maine to last six months. The 10 mile trip up the Kennebec River proved equally difficult. In some locations the river was barely wider than the drydock. The shallow draw (6 feet) and the destabilizing effect of the two large cranes that rise high above the deck of the drydock combined to make the river passage technically challenging for all of the tugs involved in the tow. The Smitwijs London was joined by the Joan Turecamo and Kimberly Turecamo from Moran's New York fleet and the Cape Hatteras from Moran's Virginia fleet. In addition to the three Moran tugs, off the mouth of the Kennebec River a fifth tug from Fournier, a local Portland company tied on. One additional local tug from Portsmouth, the Alice Winslow, ran alongside to assist if needed during the last phase of the tow. It is thought that this drydock may have been the largest structure ever moved up the Kennebec River. During the river passage, representatives from the Chinese company that built the drydock were aboard along with river pilots and line handlers while docking pilots were on the tugs. |
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50 Locust Avenue | New Canaan, CT 06840-4737 USA | Tel: 203.442.2800 |
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