WHEATSTONE transport engineering January 2012 - Argonautics Marine Engineering, Inc. was awarded the contract for engineering services for the dry transport of the Chevron WHEATSTONE steel gravity structure on TPI Megaline's heavy-lift ship MEGA PASSION from Korea to Australia. Transport will take place the first quarter of 2014. On-site assitance will also be provided during vessel preparations, float-on, seafastening, and offloading. In November 2012, Argonautics Marine Engineering was also awarded the contract for Project Management for this challenging transport.

OLDER NEWS Noteworthy older news items involving some of the activities Argonautics Marine Engineering, Inc. was involved in the past are listed below:

New web site January 2012 - Celebrating 20 years in business, Argonautics Marine Engineering, Inc. unveils a new web site and updated company logo and colors. The new logo font is bolder and cleaner and it better reflects some of the big stuff we help transport. The new web site is more modern and allows for easier navigation. It uses the latest Web 2.0 technology, such as cascading style sheets (CSS), light boxes, etc. Feel free to explore our new site and let us know what you think! Feedback is always apreciated.

Offload in St. Lucie August 2011 - Argonautics Marine Engineering, Inc. provided assistance during the offload of 4 Moisture Separator Reheaters (MSRs) delivered by cargo barge to the St Lucie Power Plant in St. Lucie, FL. Ballast procedures were prepared for the live rolling-off of each of the 4 MSR, using 10 axle Kamag trailers. During the offload operations, on-site support was provided to the offload contractor... >> This MSR offload was followed by 2 more offload operations at the same power plant: 2 turbines, broken down in 6 seperate parts in November and a generator rotor in December...>>

BOSIET training August 2011 - Company owner Frank van Hoorn completed the OPITO approved 3 day Basic Offshore Safety Induction & Emergency Training (BOSIET), including HUET and EBS at the  Maritime Safety Training Center in Lafayette, LA. The training involved theoretical sessions followed by hands-on training for fire-fighting, first aid, and in water survival. Happily, all students survived the 3 rigorous training days!

FEMAP/NASTRAN January 2011 - Argonautics Marine Engineering, Inc. upgraded its FE system to the industry standard  FEMAP/NASTRAN software programs. NEi Nastran is a powerful, general purpose Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tool with an integrated graphical user interface and model editor which is used to analyze linear and nonlinear stress, and dynamics of structures and mechanical components. It represents the latest in FEA technology with some of the fastest solvers on the market along with accurate solutions that have been trusted for nearly 20 years by companies in all industries. Computers were also upgraded to handle this powerful set of programs.

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Westar tug relocation Arpil 2012 - Argonautics Marine Engineering, Inc. provided the engineering for the dry tow of 2 Westar harbor tugs from San Francisco to Seattle. The tugs were lifted on the barge 204 and secured for the tow, using steel pipes and chain lashings...>>

Salvage crew vessel GIS PEARL August 2013 - The crew vessel GIS PEARL almost sank when  its hull breached after contact with an offshore structure. Inland Salvage, Inc. managed to stabilize the vessel and removed all fuel oil. Argonautics Marine Engineering, Inc. made a stowage plan and provided the stability calculation for transporting the damaged crew vessel on top of a cargo barge. The calculations were approved by the United States Coast Guard and the vessel was successfully lifted out of the water and postioned on top of the barge in Biloxi's Back Bay. Once secured to the barge, the wreck was towed to the shipyard for repairs.

SACS software suite October 2013 - Argonautics Marine Engineering, Inc. replaced its aging StruCAD program with the state-of-the-art Bentley Systems' SACS integrated suite of software for support of the analysis, design, fabrication, and installation of offshore structures, including oil, gas, and wind farm platforms and topsides. The new software's ability to dynamically iterate designs allows us to perform advanced analysis, comply with offshore design criteria, and visualize complex results. SACS provides us with comprehensive analysis and design capabilities that minimize risk during ocean transportation for a broad range of structures. Depending on need and demand, additional specialized modules can be added in the future.

GINA KROG contract September 2014 - Argonautics Marine Engineering, Inc. was rewarded the Project Management contract for the transport of the Statoil GINA KROG modules from Korea to their offshore installation site in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The modules (MSF, PM, UM, and flare boom) are to be transported by Mega Line vessels in the summer of 2016. Upon arrival, they will be lifted off the ships by the crane vessel SAIPEM 7000 for installation on the jacket.

WHEATSTONE SGS offloaded August 2014 - The 35,000 t heavy Chevron Wheatstone Steel Gravity Structure (SGS) was succesfully transported by heavy-lift ship MEGA PASSION from Korea to North West Australia where it was safely floated off upon arrival. Argonautics Marine Engineering, Inc. was involved in the transport engineering as well as the transport project management. The float-off operation completed over 2 years of involvement in this challenging transport project...>> After offloading, Heerema Marine Contractors succesfully wet towed the platform to its installation site offshore and set it on the bottom. The topsides will be installed in the spring of 2015, using a mating operation. A Chevron Progress video on the Wheatstone Project can be viewed here.

Reel barge salvaged A sunken reel barge was successfuly salvaged in September 2015, following a well prepared salvage plan. Because of the lack of watertight subdivision in the hull, stability during the refloating was provided using a floating crane.

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