Page 47: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (May/Jun 2025)

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OVERHAUL @ GULF COPPER as early as June. Initial tasks will focus on platform decom-

One of the frst moves under new ownership was to begin missioning, including topside removals and jacket reefng an extensive overhaul at Gulf Copper Ship Repair in Galves- operations. The goal, says Fish, is to keep the TX-10000 ton, Texas. The vessel, now 15 years old, was overdue for its working close to home—primarily in U.S. waters—to mandatory fve-year special survey, and Xenos Marine acted serve domestic decommissioning and salvage markets.

quickly to secure drydock space and initiate repairs. Beyond the vessel itself, Xenos Marine brings a broad

Gulf Copper handled steel and hull work, blasting and portfolio of supporting assets to the table. Under the com- coating, and installed cathodic protection. Meanwhile, Xe- bined Xenos and T&T umbrella, the company operates nos Marine launched a parallel refurbishment campaign small deck barges, supply and crew boats, and has engi- that extended to nearly every critical system aboard. neering, diving, and survey capabilities in-house. Plans are

The TX-10000’s eight 1,000-hp thrusters—four on underway to potentially add a mid-size crane barge to sup- each barge—were pulled, inspected, and reconditioned. port increased demand.

Hoses and electrical components were replaced. A com- plete re-rigging of the crane blocks is also underway, with A CREW REUNITED new wire shipped in from South Korea: four 3.5-inch One of the most remarkable elements of the vessel’s main hoist wires (7,500 feet each) and four 2-inch aux- rebirth is the reunion of its original crew. Many of the iliary wires (5,000 feet each). These cables support four mariners and technicians who worked on both the Bot- primary 2,000-ton capacity crane blocks and four 500-ton tom Feeder and the VB-10000 have returned to Xenos auxiliaries, giving the vessel exceptional versatility for lift- Marine, reassembling a team with nearly two decades of ing topsides, jackets, or wrecks. shared experience.

Once the wiring is installed, the TX-10,000 will un- That continuity, combined with the vessel’s unmatched dergo a full load test and sea trial series, including func- lifting ability and the deep technical bench provided by the tional failure mode effects analysis (FMEA) to validate T&T Salvage partnership, puts Xenos Marine in a prime offshore readiness. position to support America’s growing backlog of offshore infrastructure removal projects.

READY FOR WORK As the Gulf Coast prepares for an uptick in decommis-

Xenos Marine has already secured a long-term contract sioning activity, the TX-10000 stands ready once more— with a major Gulf operator, with work expected to begin rebuilt, refagged, and recommitted to serving U.S. waters.

MAY/JUNE 2025 OFFSHORE ENGINEER 47