Heard Expedition: have boat, will travel

Date: Wed Jan 31 06:57:15 1996
From: pcasier@innet.be (Peter Casier)
Subject: Heard Expedition: have boat, will travel
To: dx@ve7tcp.ampr.org
Reply-To: pcasier@innet.be (Peter Casier)

Friends,

The first major hurdle our expedition team had to take, was to find a suitable vessel.

"Suitable" meaning within the budget, realistic time schedule, at least two weeks on Heard, place for 20 team members + cargo and no compromises on safety both on the vessel and while landing.

After a long search for the '95 attempt, our experiences with ship brokers in Australia, and another couple of months of looking all over the world after the '95 Heard attempt, we were sceptical to find a ship meeting all our requirements.

After one month of negotiations by fax and telephone, Willy-HB9AHL and I went over to Paris last Friday to meet representatives of the French government and to come to an agreement. We succeeded. As you could read in Bob-KK6EK's announcement earlier this week, we now have the vessel. It is the ideal boat for our team.

It is with pleasure that I give you more details about the Marion Dufresne, the Heard'96-'97 expedition team's ticket to Heard:

Introduction:

The Marion Dufresne has been especially built to the specs of the TAAF/IFRTP (the French Antarctic Institute and administration) to work in the area of Kerguelen, Crozet and Amsterdam. It is a no-compromise vessel which can sail and work under ANY weather conditions in the polar regions. She has the most sofisticated safety features, including polar life crafts and helicopters and all needed electronics. And above all: the ship's crew has been at and on Heard island several times, so they know the waters around 'our island' very well.

General information

The Marion Dufresne II (or just Marion Dufresne, as it is written on her bow) is a brand new boat, which was taken in service on June 23 1995. It replaced the Marion Dufresne (I) which was launched in 1972. It is built by Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre in France, owned by Compagnie Generale Maritime and chartered by TAAF (Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises) and IFRTP (Institut Francais pour la Recherche et la Technologie Polaires).

The Marion Dufresne is designed to sail in the Antarctic waters, and very severe weather conditions. She features significant improvements regarding safety and reliability over the current standard level for merchant ships. She is specifically designed as a multi purpose vessel to supply the French subantarctic islands (Crozet, Amsterdam and Kerguelen). As such, she transports mission personnel, tourist passengers and all types of cargo including food and motor-fuel supplies.

As a scientific ship, she is amongst the biggest of the world fleet, featuring:

• exceptional sea behaviour allowing full performance in bad weather conditions
• possibilities of lodging, transport of freight, handling and autonomy allowing multi-disciplinary campaigns (expeditions)

She is certified by the 'Bureau Veritas' under the following mark: I 3/3 E * Special purpose ship - supply and oceanographic research vessel High Sea - ACA - AUT PORT - F - RMC V - ALM - ALS

Details

* main characteristics:
Length: 120.5 m
Beam: 20.6m
Depth at upper deck: 12.8m
Draft: 6.95 m
Displacement: 10,380 tons
Deadweight: 4,900 tons

* Passengers:

• Apart from the normal crew of 25, she has a capacity of 110 passengers in 59 cabins (equipped for tourists, mission personnel and scientists).
• 2 dining rooms (62 and 16 places), forum (130 people), lounges, video/conference rooms, library with email capacity, and full featured hospital.

* Freight:

• capacity: 2,500 tons (5,600 cubic meters appr)
• space for 110 TEU (20 ft) containers (!)
• cold stores both fixed and in containers
• fuel cargo capacity (for the bases): 1,170 tons
• refueling pumping system
• 550 tons fresh water capacity, with 3 boilers (fresh water generation up to 44 tons per day)
• 30 tons of kerosine for helicopters
• 100 ton of oil
• 140 tons of fuel for landing crafts
• special cargo areas for inflamable goods
• 1 water bassin

* Handling Gear:

• 2 general purpose craft (called 'vedettes') for transfer and landing of passengers, towing and hydrography
• 2 barges (capacity: one 20 ft container or 23 people) (these vessels are used, amongst others, for beach landings)
• several zodiacs
• 1 semi rigid inflatable
• flexible pipes for loading/unloading of liquids with 200 cubic meter/hour capacity
• 2 helicopters in hangers (Ecureuil, Alouette, Lama, Dauphin types - our trip will have one Alouette with a cargo net lifting capacity of 300 kgs)
• several floating towable docks, to land bulk equipment.

* Lifting gear:

• 2 high speed 25 ton cranes (45 tons if used as twin cranes)
• logistical/oceanographic crane, 18 ton
• 2 serice cranes, 12 ton

* Propulsion:

• cruising speed: 15.7 knots
• 3 diesel-generating sets, total 8,250 kW (2x 8 cylinder Wartsila and 2x 6 cylinder Wartsila)
• 2 AC synchronous electric propulsion motors of 2,650 Kw
• 2 propeller shafts
• 2 flap rudders
• 1 bow thruster of 750 Kw

* Electricity:

• 3 diesel alternators + emergency generator of 300 Kw
• 220/380V standard EU current, distortion +- 6%
• 220V stabilised of 2x 40 Kw for scientific equipment

* Equipment:

• integrated navigation system: GPS, gyro, log, underwater acoustic equipment, multilevel current meters
• dynamic positioning (also called autopositioning, capable of holding the ship fixed in place even at 65 knot winds)
• Bathymetric multibeam sounder
• seismic: 2 air onboard compressors
• physical oceanography: double seawater pumping syste, 2 complete bathysounders
• data processing: 3 networks, workstations, storage system and video studio
• Labs: 31 labs of 650 square meters total surface + additional lab containers
• meteo: receipt of fax and satellite images
• telecom: 1x Inmarsat M, 1x Inmarsat C, 1x Inmarsat C, HF and VHF
• network: music, video network, internet, Email and remote surveillance equipment, telephone, intercom
• computers: Apple (Macs probably) and PC compatibles with servers

* Handling and lifting gear for scientific tests:

• 1x 30 ton winch
• 3 storing drums for 7,500 m of cable of 30 mm diametyer
• 2x 10 ton A frames
• 3 manoeuvering winches, 18 t and 3 t cranes
• 2 mobile 20' platforms including trawl fishing equipment
• handling system of calypso high length core sampling
• Ilot system for lightweight sampling

Bob, KK6EK is updating our expedition scoping document which, in its next release, will feature a picture of the ship. Have a look at this document, which is the backbone of our operation:

http://www.ccnet.com/~cordell/HI/scoping

Note that safety does not come for free. The charter costs of our vessel is US$200,000 including the landing and pickup.

For the Heard'96-'97 team,
Peter,
ON6TT
pcasier@innet.be