Sign in
Why are you using WhatsApp?
We have the only messenger dedicated to the industry right here!
Newsfeed, Jobs, Chat, Vendor Network, Crew Creator and Location Services
Subscribe to our mailing list to receive trending oil and gas news!
Officials say it was “extremely hairy getting the sailors safely on board†– and warn the outcome could have been very different.
Sailors aboard HMS Argyll have saved 27 people from a container ship after its cargo caught fire.
The frigate was heading back to Plymouth when it responded to a mayday call in the middle of the night off the coast of France.
It took about eight hours to save the crew members, and the Royal Navy said the victims “were fighting a losing battle against the flames and abandoning shipâ€.
They fled the 28,000-tonne merchant ship in a lifeboat which smashed into heavy seas as it launched – and one navy official said it was “bobbing around like a cork in a bathtubâ€.
Despite the “very difficult sea conditionsâ€, HMS Argyll successfully launched her sea boat – nudging the lifeboat against the frigate’s side so the crew of the Grande America could be brought aboard.
Lieutenant Commander Dave Tetchner said: “The conditions were horrendous – the vessels were rolling at 30 degrees which made it extremely hairy getting the sailors safely on board.
“Royal Marines were on the ropes hauling people up.â€
The 27 rescued sailors were taken to the French port of Brest. Although none of them suffered life-threatening injuries, some require hospital treatment.
Lt Cdr Tetchner added: “It was pretty awful for them – they’d had to fight a fire in dreadful seas. Every one of them suffered smoke inhalation.
“Then they faced the prospect of abandoning ship and then their lifeboat failed. It was pretty awful all round and they were shocked.
“You see container ships like this every day when you’re sailing around the world. What you do not see is one in flames – it was a dreadful sight.â€
Grande America, which was carrying cars and container ships, was still on fire when HMS Argyll left the scene at about 5am on Monday – about 150 miles away from Brest.
The Italian-registered vessel was heading from Casablanca to Hamburg when the blaze broke out at 8pm on Sunday night.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson commended the crew and said that the ship’s “swift and selfless response to very dangerous situation in difficult conditions undoubtedly saved 27 livesâ€.
HMS Argyll was on her way home after spending nine months in the Asia-Pacific at the time of the distress call.
The commanding officer of HMS Argyll, Cdr Toby Shaughnessy, added: “I am incredibly proud of my ship’s company and the way they performed in this rescue effort in the most challenging of conditions.
“Without doubt this was a near run thing. The conditions were on the limit for recovery and this could just as easily been a different result.
“It was an exceptional team effort and there’s a great feeling on board after a successful result – everyone was saved.â€
Source: Sky News
Check out our other current stories!
Join the largest oil and gas community on iOS and Android!
Download the app here!
Valaris Limited announced new contracts awarded subsequent to issuing the Company’s most recent fleet status report on February 21, 2023. Three-year contract with Petrobras for drillship VALARIS DS-8. The rig will be reactivated for this contract. The total contract value is approximately $500 million, including a $30 million mobilization fee. 100-day contract with a TotalEnergies affiliate for drillship VALARIS DS-12. The contract is expected to commence in second quarter 2023. 70-day contract with Beach Energy offshore New Zealand for heavy duty modern jackup VALARIS 107. The contract is expected to commence in third quarter 2023. The total contract value is approximately $26 million. President and Chief Executive Officer Anton Dibowitz said, “We are particularly pleased to have secured the award for preservation stacked drillship VALARIS DS-8, for a contract that is expected to generate a meaningful return over the firm contract term, and we remain focused on exercising our operational leverage in a disciplined manner. This most recent award represents the sixth contract awarded to one of our high-quality stacked floaters since mid-2021, and speaks volumes about our demonstrated track record of project execution when reactivating rigs.” Dibowitz added, “Following the reactivation of VALARIS DS-17 and DS-8, we will have ten floaters working across the golden triangle, including four drillships in Brazil, a market where we expect to see continued growth over the next several years.” Updated Guidance As a result of the contract awarded to VALARIS DS-8, which will require the rig to be reactivated from preservation stack, we are updating our first quarter 2023 and full-year 2023 guidance provided on our fourth quarter 2022 conference call on February 21, 2023. First Quarter 2023 Contract drilling expense is expected to increase by approximately $5 million to $385 million to $395 million. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to decrease by approximately $5 million to negative $5 million to breakeven. Adjusted EBITDAR, which adds back one-time reactivation expense, is expected to be $25 million to $30 million, unchanged from the guidance provided on our fourth quarter 2022 conference call. Full-Year 2023 Revenues are anticipated to be $1.8 billion to $1.9 billion, unchanged from the guidance provided on our fourth quarter 2022 conference call. Contract drilling expense is expected to increase by approximately $60 million to $1.49 billion to $1.59 billion. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to decrease by approximately $60 million to $180 million to $220 million. Adjusted EBITDAR, which adds back one-time reactivation expense, is expected to be $280 million to $320 million, unchanged from the guidance provided on our fourth quarter 2022 conference call. Capital expenditures are expected to increase by $60 million to $320 million to $360 million. Source: Valaris Join our mailing list here We are #1 on Google and Bing for the "Largest Mobile Energy Network" Come join our community! Download the Rig Lynx app here
Seadrill Limited announced that the West Neptune has executed approximately six months of term extensions with LLOG Exploration Offshore, L.L.C in the US Gulf of Mexico. The extensions will commence in direct continuation of the existing term, and will keep the rig busy until Q3 2024, furthering Seadrill and LLOG’s long-term association. Total contract value for the extension is approximately $79 million. Source: Seadrill Join our mailing list here We are #1 on Google and Bing for the "Largest Mobile Energy Network" Come join our community! Download the Rig Lynx app here
Semisub rig owner Dolphin Drilling has inked a new contract with Peak Petroleum in Nigeria for its 1974-built Blackford Dolphin. The firm contract, which follows the letter of award in January, gives the Euronext Growth-listed owner of three rigs the potential to extend the unit’s backlog by a minimum of 120 days and up to 485 days. The deal adds to and will be a direct continuation of the previously announced 12-month contract with General Hydrocarbon Limited (GHL). Øystein Stray Spetalen-backed company said the effective dayrate associated with the minimum firm period of the contract is $325,000, including the mobilisation fee. “The final award of the contract for Blackford Dolphin shows the opportunities in Nigeria at a strong dayrate, in addition to building on the backlog for the rig. It also underlines the attractiveness of our assets, and we look forward to returning to revenue-generating operations in 2023,” noted Bjørnar Iversen, CEO of Dolphin Drilling. Source: Dolphin Join our mailing list here We are #1 on Google and Bing for the "Largest Mobile Energy Network" Come join our community! Download the Rig Lynx app here
Why are you using WhatsApp?
We have the only messenger dedicated to the industry right here!
Newsfeed, Jobs, Chat, Vendor Network, Crew Creator and Location Services
Subscribe to our mailing list to receive trending oil and gas news!
Comments (0)