Member Info for adoubleuk

I think I've done something that nobody else in the whole history of mankind has achieved. (Nor probably tried, of course, 'cos they can't be bothered.) A World First.

You see, after a pleasant afternoon stroll round town (including a beer on a café terrace in the sunshine), getting back home, checking this board and Marinetraffic, I thought I'd do something else.

And I'm willing to bet that nobody has watched the latest series of The Grand Tour, and between the end of episode 1 and the start of episode 2, gone to a different site, checked the whereabouts of an FPSO West of Shetland (not being particularly pleased with what I saw), and returned to Clarkson & Co's show without having missed a second of it. ALL IN JUST FIVE MOUSE-CLICKS.

(You need to have your web-browser set up 'just so' to do this.)

plumbus,

"bobsworth on the 'other channel'"

Which 'other channel'? He's not on advfn.

Aw, heck. AIS hasn't updated for almost 2 hours now, so nothing to watch. It's a sunny if cold day here, I've just had a light lunch, so think I'll go wash the ducks and then have a siesta...

SotB,

" You couldna best sliding down a stand of drill pipe rather than use the ladder."

Yeah, sure. That was one legendary feat I was never stupid enough to attempt.

Yuyus,

"I was on the Ninian Central working the Derrick without a Top Drive ergo no Link Tilt , spinning chain and tongs ! Best fun ever , hardwork, absolutely pitted but character building . Working the Derrick on 3 1/2 Drill Pipe was ‘challenging ‘ monkey board tugger was useless."

Go tell 'em, man! We're the same generation. I particularly enjoyed 'roping in' 6-1/4" drillcollars. But it took real teamwork...

ifonly1,

"Why don't you just wait for a RNS"

I agree with Snaggletooth. B'cos it's fun. 'Shipwatching' may be a dark and lonely job, but someone's got to do it.

ian67,

"you'd think they would upgrade to sat comm to keep us happy ;-)"

One can get satellite data on Marinetraffic, but one has to pay for it. Personally, there are limits to my dedication to 'shipwatching' !

Looks like AM;s turned north towards the buoy. The data's already half an hour old, though, without an update.

(And having written that, the AIS will probably update just as I hit the 'post' button!)

wessex,

I see we were writing at the same time!

papajoe,

Not criticising you, but the photos on those energysite links you posted have been on the Hurricane website for what?.. eight months or so?

To my mind any company's own website is a most basic, starting-block research tool.

No, belay the thing about the AIS 'pip'. Looking at the speed chart, they moved off sometime around 19:00. There's just no 'pip' around then.

Someone over on advfn noticed this before I did. The boat's draft increased (or was manually inputted, to be precise) at 21:57 last night. OK, we can't be sure when the change was made, but that AIS 'pip' was about an hour after moving off the buoy location.

On another 'shipwatch' subject, at certain resolutions that anchor symbol appears about 3 miles from the buoy. But zoom further in to the 1 km range, and it disappears from there, and instead coincides with the buoy location exactly.

BNB,

"Puffet , IMO is guessing like everyone else - although one day he will be right "

I think that's a bit unfair. He appears to have been right quite a number of times so far. I do suspect he has some 'contact' with the boat, or someone onboard. But that 'someone' could be working anywhere, in the galley or the engine-room (for instance), and not directly involved with with the latch-up operation nor the minute-to-minute decision-making about how it should progress.

mytton,

"Not over yet. AM heading back to position as at 21.16hrs"

Yes. I couldn't sleep, got up for a drink of water, decided to fire up the computer and take a quick peek. AM still in a 'holding pattern' close to location at 04:00.

In a different post, someone (Albi1) asked why they moved 3 miles away from the buoy. I think there's an easy answer to that. If they've got some extra work to do, the won't want to do it directly over the buoy or the rest of the infrastructure, in case something gets dropped.

One thing's for sure, though. This operation is obviously not the '2 meter seas and 6 hours' that Dr T led us to believe. No blame on him for that, though.

mallye,

"Looks like she is moving again???????????"

Oh, for crying out loud. Looks like you'r right.

BlooBird,

Thanks.

"Thought you may have hit on head by a flying roof tile!"

Nope, but going out in filthy weather isn't the best thing to do when still recovering from the 'flu! Nevertheless, I've been following things closely, or at least at during hours outside the long periods of time spent in bed feeling sorry for myself... But didn't feel like writing.

" I have a very good feeling about this. "

Yup, me too. Another thing being, the modification of status from 'underway' to 'restricted manoeuverability' is manually inputted into the AIS, and will only be done on instruction by someone with authority. And it repesents some sort of change from the preceding status.

I agree an RNS on Monday will be the acid test, but even if the FPSO hasn't changed position come tomorrow, I reckon it'll be reasonably safe to assume she's latched-up to the buoy.

The View,

"Strange as I still have them as independent and slightly different co-ords"

Yes, me too!

You've got to zoom in close.

Plus I've also noticed an odd (coincidental?) thing. That anchor symbol is smack bang over the wells themselves...

Mr Toad,

"The AM appears to be very static on the position of the buoy at the moment :-)"

Yup ,definitely looking like 'go fo it time. Milling around in a loose holding pattern a few miles north since yesterday afternoon and all night, then a deliberate move back down to the buoy location, arrival coinciding with first light, and staying there.

Fingers crossed.

scoredagainsteps,

" i have a old 20 year old landcruiser love it "

And I quite understand. On a job I was on in Congo seven years ago (onshore) I had a LWB Toyota HJZ78 (Africa-spec, not road-legal here) as my 'company car', and it was an utterly amazing thing. And my occasional to-and-fros to the wellsite (70kms, I was office-based, in town), involved 30km of very rough track, which if it had been raining involved some very serious 4x4 ability. Which it managed.

But also, it was very comfortable when back on the blacktop.

Unfortunately, although some come on the market in Belgium, it'd take ages to get it licenced here. Because although way more 'basic' than a Rangerover L322, a fantastic machine.