Derrick/Supply Vessel Now In Gulf Service For Tidewater

The Lift Tide (shown above), a derrick x supply vessel operated by Tidewater Contractors, Inc., a subsidiary of Tidewater Inc., is now in U.S. Gulf service off the Louisiana coast following extended duty in the Middle East. Refitted with a new American Hoist & Derrick, Model 9760, 90-ton lifting capacity, pedestal-mounted crane, the vessel is certified by the U.S. Coast Guard for unrestricted ocean service.

The Lift Tide is 186 feet by 56 feet by 14 feet 6 inches, can operate at a minimum water depth of 16 feet, and offers mobility with moderate lift capacity. Powered by two 16- cylinder GM Electro-Motive Division engines that develop 3,600 bhp, the vessel has a top speed of 12 knots.

Equipped with a new four-point mooring system pioneered by Tidewater Marine Service, Inc., the vessel is highly stable in the working mode. The system provides four 10,000-pound anchors, with each anchor supplied with 3,000 feet of 114-inch steel cable.

The anchors are lowered and retrieved by two new double-drum SMATCO DAW 55 winches mounted on the main deck.

The Lift Tide crew consists of seven personnel and a 10-member work force that includes a barge superintendent, crane operator, winch operator, foreman, welder, and five riggers. Additional personnel such as divers, diving tenders, pipeline inspectors, X-ray technicians, ultrasonic technicians, and other specialists can be added as required, as the vessel is designed to provide total accommodations for 34 persons.

Tidewater Contractors operates four other four-point mooring specialty vessels in the Gulf of Mexico in addition to the Lift Tide.

An affiliated company, Tidewater Marine Service, Inc., one of the Tidewater Inc. group of companies, owns and operates a fleet of approximately 400 vessels in oil and gas producing areas around the world, and is the world's largest supplier of marine support equipment to the offshore drilling industry.

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Maritime Reporter

First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.