Trinity Offshore launches shallow draft skimmer for MSRC

Trinity Offshore, Gulfport, Miss., has launched TC-055, a 57 ft MK II Very Shallow Draft Multi-System Skimmer (VSMSS) built for Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) to meet the very exacting vessel specifications and procedural requirements for the often delicate operation of shallow skimming.

Trinity’s in-house engineering department was asked to design and engineer a multi-purpose shallow draft skimmer based on MSRC’s experience with the oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 and the lack of vessels capable of collecting oil in the shallow bays and sounds of the Gulf Coast.

The resulting vessel has maximum transit speeds of 25 mph (light), 12 mph (with two tanks fully loaded), a collection speed of 2-3 mph and a range (light) of 250 miles at 20 mph. The TC-055 fully complies with USCG certification as a 46CFR Subchapter “C” vessel as defined by MVI Policy Letter 1-95 as an OSRV, Small Skimming Vessel. As such, it is USCG certified to carry class “D” and “E” cargo.

Key to a skimmer’s functionality, the MK II’s recovered oil storage capacity is 10,450 gallons/249 bbls in four built-in tanks (including forward sump tank).

Crucial, Inc. furnished and installed skimming equipment that includes one diesel driven model DHP-29 diesel hydraulic power unit, air start and S.S. tubing under deck; two bow-mounted model SB-36/15, 3 ft wide hydraulic driven absorbent belt skimmer systems including deck skids; and one supplied boom reel.

Outfitted fully for all oil response at shallow depths, the MK II is designed for a complement of three and features an 8 ft wide air-conditioned and elevated wheelhouse with steering console, seat/storage compartment (including self-contained head) and aft door and window. The ceiling is insulated with side facing aft and aft facing windows that open (forward and side facing forward windows are fixed).

The TC-055, MK II VSMSS was built at Trinity Offshore’s New Orleans shipyard. Trinity Offshore has a 30-year history in building state-of-the-art oil spill recovery vessels. Since the oil crisis in the Gulf, Trinity has designed and delivered a total of 22 vessels to assist in the clean-up effort. These include: seven 35 ft shuttle work barges, eleven 30-ft Marco/Kvichak rapid response skimmers, one 56-ft very shallow multi-system skimmer and three 249 bbl oil recovery mini-barges.

April 1, 2011