MV Blue Marlin

Blue Marlin and her sister ship MV Black Marlin comprise the Marlin class of semisubmersible heavy-lift ships operated by Dockwise Shipping of the Netherlands. Designed to transport very large, semisubmersible 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, and a secure citadel for protection against pirate attacks.

Blue Marlin carrying USS Cole
History
Name: Blue Marlin
Owner: Dockwise Limited
Operator: Dockwise Limited
Port of registry:
Builder: CSBC Corporation, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Laid down: 8 April 1999
Launched: 23 December 1999
Completed: 25 April 2000
Identification:
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 (737 ft 6 in)
Beam: 63.1 m (207 ft 0 in)
Draught: 13.3 m (43 ft 8 in)
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, Hawaii, on 9 January 2006 on its way to Adak Island, Alaska, transported by MV Blue Marlin
HMAS Canberra at Ferrol

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][3] suicide bombers while anchored in the port of Aden, Yemen. During the latter part of 2003, work done on Blue Marlin boosted her 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.[4] 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 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 incomplete amphibious warship HMAS Canberra to Melbourne.[5] The 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.[6][7] The ship passed the Port Phillip Heads and arrived at Melbourne on 17 October 2012.[8]

In May 2019, Blue Marlin was briefly hijacked off the coast of Equatorial Guinea. The crew took shelter in the ship’s citadel, while pirates shot up the bridge in frustration and fled before the arrival of the Equatorial Guinean and Spanish navies.[9]

Specifications
SpecificationInitial
Length overall217 m (712 ft)
Length PP206.5 m (677 ft)
Breadth moulded42 m (138 ft)
Depth moulded13.3 m (44 ft)
Summer draft10 m (33 ft)
Deadweight56,000 t (55,000 long tons; 62,000 short tons)
Submerged depth above deck10 m (33 ft)
Free deck length178.2 or 157.2 m (585 or 516 ft)
Free deck area> 7,215 m2 (77,660 sq ft)
Main engine output12,640 kW (16,950 hp)
Bow thruster2,000 kW (2,700 hp)
Cruise speed14.5 knots (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph)
Cruise range25,000 nautical miles (46,000 km; 29,000 mi)
Accommodation55 people
Building yardCSBC, Kaohsiung

Post-2004
  • Depth: 13.3 m (44 ft)
  • Max sailing draft: 10 m (33 ft)
  • Max draft submerged: 29.3 m (96 ft)
  • Water above deck submerged
    • aft 16 m (52 ft)
    • forward 12 m (39 ft)
  • Deck space: 63 m × 178.2 m (207 ft × 585 ft)
  • Deck area: 11,227 m2 (120,850 sq ft)
  • Propulsor output: 4,500 kW (6,035 hp) each
  • Conversion yard: Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, Ulsan, South Korea

See also

References
  1. "Blue Marlin (20651)". DNV GL Vessel Register. Det Norske Veritas. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  2. "Attack on the USS Cole: The Bin Laden connection". al-bab.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012.
  3. Brian Whitaker (15 October 2001). "Piecing together the terrorist jigsaw". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  4. Nina Berglund (11 July 2005). "'Snow White' gets her heart". Aftenposten. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  5. "El "Blue Marlin" permanece desde ayer atracado en Navantia Fene". diario de Ferrol (in Spanish). 17 June 2012. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  6. "Navantia efectúa con éxito el ´encaje´ del ´Canberra´". Laopinióncoruña (in Spanish). 4 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  7. "El "Blue Marlin" zarpará en 7 días hacia Australia". La voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 6 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  8. "Orange giant Blue Marlin floats into Port Phillip Bay". 17 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  9. "Crew of heavy-lift ship freed after hijacking". professionalmariner.com. Professional Mariner. 7 May 2019.
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