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end of the working deck. These winches are independently powered and controlled to support the four-point anchor system, which is capable of holding the vessel on station in depths of 300 feet and wind sea state Þ ve and swell state four for diving operations. For standby operations, the vessel is rated for wind sea state seven and swell state seven. ÒMany of the electrical systems aboard the vessel also had to be modiÞ ed and upgraded to support the additional hydraulic motors, lighting, MSD system and the watermaker,Ó Huston said. The NRC QuestÕs 24Õx 80Õ clear deck supports containerized equipment, shops that can be assembled and secured and a decompression chamber if necessary for diving operations. The side bulwark openings on the deck allow for the placement of a launch and retrieval system (LARS) for the deployment and recovery of a diving bell. ÒIn order to make it easy to change the service of the vessel we installed a false deck with container sockets, welded tie down points and a surface that can be welded to without the need for gas-free tanks for hotwork,Ó said Huston. THE NRC F ORMULAE : ECONOMICS 101 FOR RESPONSE TONNAGE The universal challenge facing salvage and emergency response vessels is to keep equipment employed while not answering distress calls. Even when there are no emergencies to respond to, a vessel represents a huge capital investment and a constant set of maintenance and crewing expenses. NRC Environmental Services found a way to reduce the capital expenses by converting a suitable, existing vessel and by outÞ tting that vessel to perform a number of non- emergency tasks. Perhaps the conversion of the NRC Quest will encourage other West Coast companies and organizations to add to their ß eets and further improve the capacity for spill response in the region. Main ParticularsMachineryElectronics & ControlsLength o.a.: 159 ft (48 m)Main Engines: 2x CAT 3508 B LS Radar(s): 2x Fu-runo 1933 C/NT Length b.p.: 144 ft (44 m)Brake Horsepower: 1,500SSB: 2x Furuno FS-1503Beam: 36 ft (11 m)Propellers: HS HTB- 4B 64x55Internet Email: Globe Offshore Depth: 12 ft (4 m)Aux Gen: 2x CAT 3304T@99 kWVHF: 4x Icom M 502Light Draft: 7 ft (2.1 m)Bow Thrusters: Marprop 300 hpAutopilot: Rob-ertson AP-45 Loaded Draft: 10 ft (3 m)Northern PaciÞ c Crane: 22 Ton 68Õ Weather Radio: XMLightship: 398 LT (405 MT)Aurora Crane: 2.5 Ton 25Õ Iridium Satellite PhoneThe NRC Quest, a mini supply vessel from the Gulf of Mexico, converted to an oil spill response vessel and relocated to the West Coast September 201234 MNMNSept2012 Layout 32-42.indd 34MNSept2012 Layout 32-42.indd 348/31/2012 12:40:06 PM8/31/2012 12:40:06 PM