Research vessel placed in lay-up

Text: Sveinung W. Jensen, Tellus Kommunikasjon

The operation was carried out by the tugs Farmar Ares and Farmar Athos. However, a great deal of work was also done before the tow itself began.

“This is a complex operation, both in planning and execution. We have provided a Marine Manager, Tow Master, and several mooring personnel in both Kristiansand and Lyngdal,” says Managing Director John W. Nilsen of Farmar.

THE VESSEL, which is registered in Limassol, was built in 1978 for oil drilling and converted for scientific use six years later.

From 1985 onwards, the ship was used in several international research programmes, including the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), led by Texas A&M University in cooperation with research institutions from 23 countries.

THE SHIP IS equipped with a 60-metre-high derrick and laboratories for analysing cores retrieved from the seabed. It has operated in water depths of up to 5,800 metres and has collected more than 300 kilometres of cores since operations began.

After spending some time in Kristiansand, JOIDES Resolution had to be relocated because the quay there is now required for other purposes.

FOLLOWING THE towing and mooring operations, Farmar will now be responsible for monitoring, maintenance, and safety throughout the vessel’s lay-up period at Agnefest.

The company holds management agreements for a number of vessels in Lyngdal and Farsund, most of which are seismic vessels.

“We’ve handled drilling vessels before as well – but it’s been quite a while since the last one,” says Nilsen.