This was a project with all foreign companies (US, German, Dutch). We used Willemstad, Curaçao as base port.

Totally agree, but I guess it´s only for when going overboard. But as you said, crew teamwork and visibility must be of highest importance.

its to look different than water, obviously if it was an issue someone wouldve changed it in the last 50 years

Thank you - I had no idea what was going on here

@@oleyholmes1989 Good day. Normally the vessel would slowly steam ahead whilst slacking off the anchor pendant wire (the barge would have the brake set on the anchor winch for this anchor wire). The effect is the anchor is dragged back over the stern roller. After a position check the vessel would be requested to lower the anchor to the seabed. Often as not the barge would then tension up the anchor wire to test if the anchor was holding. Another position check, and if it was considered to be holding (sometimes the anchor is set down and the barge would just instruct the vessel to connect and launch the buoy without a holding test) then the vessel would be asked to carry on moving ahead until they launched the buoy over the stern. Whilst the connection is being made between the buoy pigtail and anchor pendant the pendant wire is held in a 'karm fork' or 'sharks jaw' or similar, where the pendant end wire socket sits behind the fork. . This fork is on a retractable ram that protrudes above and retracts into the deck adjacent to the stern roller and when ready the fork is retracted down below the deck. releasing the buoy. Loads of stuff on youtube on this equipment. It's been some years since I last had the pleasure (dubious though it was) of anchor handling so doubtless methodology has been changed/improved. So please excuse my convoluted explanation.

@@oleyholmes1989 That's it. The barge keeps its winch brake on. The vessel moves ahead slacking off the pendant wire and the anchor is skidded down the deck until it overboatfs.

I was there it was wild

​@Dr Evil . A pendant (as in jewelry) line is shackled from the bottom of the buoy usually via a 'pigtail' ( a small section of similar sized wire about 8-10ft long, this allows a little maneuverability when it comes to disconnecting the buoy) the pendant (sometimes more than one joined together dependent on water depth) lead s down to the anchor. . A suitcase wire or line (sometimes called a suitcase pendant) as in this case, passes through the buoy obviating the need for a whole lot of shackles and handling. This is usually much safer and quicker and suitcase buoys/lines are nearly always fitted to vessels that can pipelay, and often move in short spurts whilst laying the pipe. Quicker and easier to handle. It is unusual to 'deck' a suitcase buoy but occasionally the operator may want it decked if it is to be re-run over subsea pipelines and assets. In this case the anchor needed to be decked to disconnect as there appears to be a midline buoy that to has to be removed (the black Yokohama type) that is is in the the mooring array , this was probably position by clamp usually to keep the anchor wire clear of the seabed and other subsea assets.

@Dr Evil There is no bigger chain to the 'semi'. Castoro 7 has anchor wires. The only chain in this assembly is the short chain tail shackled to the anchor shank? In the video the buoy is picked up by catching the buoy pick up sling of which there is one each side of the buoy. The buoy is heaved on deck using the work wire then the work wire is transferred to the spelter socket which is attached to the top end of the suitcase pendant wire to heave in the anchor.

@Dr Evil, Greetings, the C7 had many iterations of names. Began as the Viking Piper I believe. I started with Zapata Marine Service (George Bush seniors old firm)in the 70's when they first moved to the N Sea. Wandered around the world with them for thirteen years then joined Swire Pacific Offshore for a while before moving ashore Never really left the offshore business until 'covid' took charge and now the the old bones are playing up. I did spend several years working out of Houston and had many a visit to Amelia (MrDermotts yard), Morgan City, Houma, Fourchon, Aransas Paas, Galveston, Theodore (Al) and all ports/ yards along the Gomex. I recall the rafts of boats laid up (and that was during the second or third round of layups ) when I took the short cut drive from Houma down to Port Fourchon I used to stop at look at the lines of vessels trying to remember if or where I had come across one or two, there were that many , no chance. They world was littered up with boats stacked (and rigs) then as you know. The job was serious work, long hours, dangerous at times, exciting in others, and loads of travel.. Sounds a bit selfish but I think we had the best of it. The last chain moored rig (she was a semi) I worked with had been converted to a 'flotel' (in Brownsville Tx in 2006 after years of layup) originally she was the old Penrod 83 born around 1970 and turned into razorblades in Turkey circa 2015. It's a new world now offshore and the youngsters are welcome to it. Take it easy, get your covid jab, it's getting rough out there. rgds CA

@Dr Evil Greetings, yep still got all ten but had both wrists busted (they are okay now) Worked with the 'Jack Bates' many years ago. She went to make razorblades couple of years years back. First saw the Otis (later Halliburton plus others got into the scene) 'lift boats' down off Nigeria. Such was the demand in that neck of the woods for 'salty dogs' to do the work, McDermotts (Jaramac boats), Tidewater, Arthur Levy (mostly called something Seahorse, like the Lavaca Seahorse, Laguna Seahorse etc,). used to poach crews. Get ashore for a beer and there was always an offer for $10-$15 a day more if you returned from your off of days and went to work for them. Was doing vessel inspections up to a couple of years back. Not saying we worked in the 'good old days' but for sure they were far better than the bureaucratic, politically correct, nonsense around these days.

If they are restrained by a safety harness they can't get out of the way quick enough when things go south.

Anything coming in over the stern will wash them up the deck towards the winch house.

Amen, Colonel Sanders!

...go back to bed, dad!

@Dr Evil I heard of all the great adventures of the 80's my uncle and all of his friends came up at delmar at that time

@Dr Evil you know donny clark, Jeff pucket, hollywood, storm Brewer, Wes frintz?

@Dr Evil my first job was on the kodiak

@Dr Evil small world indeed. When I walked on the kodiak I couldn't believe who big she was but like you said chouest blew that out the water. They're the new gulf Mafia

I was out there in 82 on the lady C and the miss Tenue . engineer on standby boats. Stood by Amocco rigs verm 310 b many wild stories from those days