New offshore adventures: SKT2017

Hey guys! I am writing to you from a ship again! The next three weeks I will spend offshore on vessel Magne Viking, an anchor handler with ice class. We are part of what is going to be sea trials in ice with two ships in the Bothnian Bay, north in the Baltic Sea. Joining us is the vessel Tor Viking, an anchor handling vessel that is also an icebreaker.

Tor Viking and Magne Viking at berth in Landskrona during mobilization.

We arrived on the vessels in Landskrona on Monday for safety training. Since not all participants had offshore safety training (and this certificate costs a lot of money and takes some time), the organizers had arranged a one-day course covering the basics. We had a half day of theory on (among other things) hypothermia, emergency communication and equipment. The other half of the course was practical, where we practiced fire fighting with extinguishers and trained in the water and on a life raft with survival suits.

Tuesday was dedicated to mobilization, i.e. setting up all the equipment. Many of the subcontractors on board had already set up theirs, but we were rushing to install ours before the planned departure on Wednesday.

Me installing equipment on the bridge of Tor Viking.

Wednesday was spent finishing installations and testing the DP (dynamic positioning) of the ship, as it had had upgrades. Everything worked fine, and we departed Landskrona around 1900 local time.

Pilot on the bridge of Magne Viking, leaving Landskrona.

At the time of writing, we are in transit and are somewhere between Öland and Gotland. The weather is nice, and the sea is smooth. We will spend an additional two days transiting north, before we arrive in the ice and start our trials. The latest ice charts show nice ice conditions (as opposed to what they were in the beginning of February during planning), so we are very optimistic for successful trials.

I will keep you updated and write more about our/my work – this time we have internet on board! You can follow the trials using hashtag #SKT2017 on social media, and my Twitter and Instagram for updates.