The Polar Pioneer Oil Rig and The MV Blue Marlin Submersible Transport Ship
In the early morning hours of Friday, April 17th, a gigantic structure drifted into the harbor at Port Angeles, Washington. Outrageous ocean behemoths, the Polar Pioneer oil rig, nested securely atop the submersible transport ship, MV Blue Marlin , were a sight to behold.
The oil rig towers 355 feet high, is an unbelievable 400 feet long and owned by Transocean Ltd. The transport ship is a staggering 712 ft long and 138 ft wide and is owned by Dockwise of the Netherlands. (2)
The MV Blue Marlin picked up its unusual cargo from Malaysia in early March and made the 6 week, 9000 mile sojourn unscathed and into the safety of Port Angeles harbor where it will stay for two weeks before heading to Seattle. There, the folks at Royal Dutch Shell hope to get the necessary permits needed for the Polar Pioneer’s exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea, off the northern shore of Alaska. (1)
Of course, the regalia of Green Peace protestors were there in kayaks and small inflatables to great the duo monsters; demonstrating their bitter concerns and disdain for the project. They fear not enough planning and clean-up contingencies were provided by Shell Oil for the drilling sites, and that would preclude a disaster. It appears to be a showdown between David and Goliath, but this time, I fear Goliath will win.
My husband and I, along with hundreds of others, gawked and took pictures of these marvels: a man-made earth mover and oil driller of seas and the unbelievable transport ship it needs to make it a viable enterprise. Uunfortunately, both the Polar Pioneer and MV Blue Marlin, are profound examples of the enormous risks and expense the world is willing to parlay for oil proliferation as well.
*What a sight to behold. An oil rig floating all alone and helpless in the Port Angeles harbor. I can’t imagine how it traveled the 9000 miles from Malaysia without tipping itself over along with the ship during rough waters. Apparently the drilling rig was secured to the MV Blue Marlin, by 17,000 feet of welds. It took 65 welders to go aboard the Polar Pioneer and free up these welds before the submersible could bring the rig down sufficiently underwater to float safely on its own. (3)
The MV Blue Marlin, when finally brought to full height, left the harbor on Thursday for Singapore and will arrive there, approximately, on June 8th. I have no updated information on when our interesting visitor, the Polar Pioneer, will be towed to Seattle. In the mean time, we are enjoying the excitement and notoriety of the Polar Pioneer’s unique presence in our harbor.
(1) Peninsula Daily News, April 19, 2015, Front Page
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Blue_Marlin
(3) Peninsula Daily News, May 3, 2015, page A11
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