Page 37: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 1989)

The U.K shipyard Swan Hunter recently launched one of the world's most sophisticated cableships, the 377-foot Sir Eric Sharp.

Sophisticated Cableship Launched

At Swan Hunter's Wallsend Yard

One of the world's most modern and sophisticated cableships, the $49-million Sir Eric Sharp, was re- cently launched at Swan Hunter's

Wallsend Yard, only 14 months af- ter the order was placed by Cable and Wireless (Marine) Ltd. (CWM).

Designed on computer, with the construction aligned by laser, the 377-foot-long Sir Eric Sharp is one of the most technologically ad- vanced cableships afloat. When commissioned in spring 1989, the new vessel will take up station in

Bermuda to provide CWM's new

Atlantic Cable Maintenance Service in conjunction with the Mercury, another of CWM's cableships.

The two vessels will share mainte- nance responsibility for the PTAT system, which will be the first pri- vately funded trans-Atlantic fiber optic telecommunications cable, the

PTAT-1 will be jointly owned by

SIR ERIC SHARP

Equipment List

Main engine Ruston

Generator engine GEC Machines

Auxiliary engine NEI Allen

Auxiliary generator .... GEC Machines

Propulsion motors .... GEC Machines

Propulsion motor converters . . . . Hill Graham Controls

Bow & stern thrusters White Gill

Thruster motors GEC Machines

Thruster motor converters . . . . Hill Graham Controls

Main & auxiliary diesel generator controls . Regulator Europa

Propulsion motor controls GEC Electrical

Machinery alarm & monitoring . . . . CSI

Navigation system Racal Marine

Radar Kelvin Hughes

Autopilot Racal Marine

SatNav SG Brown

Gyrocompass SG Brown

Shallow water echo sounder . . Marconi

Watchkeeper receiver Marcon

Direction finder Marconi

Deep water general purpose echo sounder Honeywell

Deep water survey echo sounder Ferranti ORE

ROV tracking Simrad Albatross

Auto exchange phone system . . . Grundy

PA/intercom Marconi

Radio/TV aerial Marcon

Radio system Marconi

VHF telephone Marcon

SatCom system . . . EB Communications

Cable handling system Dowty Bolton Paul

ROV Slingsby Engineering

Cable and Wireless and its Ameri- can partner and is scheduled to enter service in mid-1989.

The 6,133-grt Sir Eric Sharp is the first cableship ever designed with a permanent integral remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for buried cable maintenance and repair du- ties. The ROV Cirrus will be able to perform a variety of complex cable repair and maintenance tasks. Aside from the hydraulic thrusters which propel the craft, it can also be fitted with tracks enabling it to crawl along the ocean floor.

The Sir Eric Sharp has a breadth of 59 feet, depth of 33 feet and full load draft of 20.6 feet. Her propul- sion equipment was provided by

GEC Electrical Projects Ltd. The propulsion package consists of a

Ruston main diesel engine fitted to a GEC Machines Ltd. generator with GEC Machines Ltd. propulsion motors. Auxiliary power is supplied by an NEI Allen auxiliary engine driving a GEC Machines generator.

Hill Graham Controls Ltd. supplied propulsion motor converters.

For maneuverability, the Sir Eric

Sharp is fitted with bow and stern thrusters supplied by White Gill-

United Technologies Elliott, Ltd., driven by GEC Machines thruster motors.

The vessel has full satellite com- munications and navigation facili- ties and is equipped with an ad- vanced dynamic positioning system which enables it to automatically maintain a fixed position relative to its remotely controlled submersible on the seabed.

For free literature detailing the shipbuilding facilities of Swan

Hunter,

Circle 39 on Reader Service Card

Sohio Oil, Subsidiary

Of BP America, Makes

West Coast Acquisitions

BP America recently announced that its subsidiary, Sohio Oil Com- pany, has agreed to acquire a West

Coast refinery and marketing assets from Mobil Oil. The action marks the company's first move to the

West Coast as a refiner and market- er.

As part of the transaction, Sohio

Oil is purchasing Mobil's 79,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Ferndale,

Wash., and Mobil's approximate 30- percent ownership in the Olympic

Pipe Line Company for $152.5 mil- lion.

Separately, Sohio Oil and Mobil have also agreed to an exchange of marketing assets in which Sohio Oil will acquire four product terminals and Mobil's owned and leased sta- tions in Washington, Oregon, and northern California. Sohio Oil will offer supply contracts to Mobil dealers and distributors in those ar- eas. In exchange, Mobil will obtain

Sohio Oil's company-operated BP and Gibbs stations in the Northeast,

Gas-n-Go outlets in Michigan, Gulf stations in Orlando and the west coast of Florida, and a product ter- minal in Tampa. The exchange is expected to be completed during the second quarter of 1989.

New Caterpillar Marine

Service Directory Available

Caterpillar's new 104-page Worldwide Ma- rine Directory is divided by country and lists addresses, phone numbers, business hours, support services provided, terms of pay- ment, etc.

Caterpillar has published a new, worldwide marine directory that provides listings for more than 640

Caterpillar marine parts and service locations throughout the world.

Directory information includes service locations, dealer names, ad- dresses, phone numbers, business hours, engine models serviced, and more.

To obtain a free copy of the Cat- erpillar Worldwide Marine Directo- ry,

Circle 53 on Reader Service Card

THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO COMPLY WITH

THE LATEST ENFORCED MARP0L 73/78

REGULATIONS.

ATLAS MAXI 25 S is the complete solid waste disposal unit, equipped with all the automatic regulating and safety de- vices which are necessary for perfect functioning year after year.

ATLAS MAXI marine incinerators insure the most economical disposal of solid waste onboard ship.

VESTA incinerators come in different si- zes which are capable of handling sludge oil and solid waste of ships ranging from smaller vessels to passenger liners.

The incinerators can also be delivered as a fully containerized unit, complete with all necessary connections and ready for operation. 27 Skudehavnsvej, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark Tel.: +45 1 29 12 66, Telex: 19 730, Telefax: +45 1 29 60 90

Circle 136 on Reader Service Card

January, 1989 41