GSS makes successful foray into the USA

Back in October 2014 GSS took the decision to heavy lift the Maggie M to the Caribbean for works with a Dutch dredging partner in the Bahamas. The decision proved to be the staging post for a near 15,000nm series of passages and works that culminated in a trip from Balboa to NW Alaska representing a round trip of 10500nm on her own keel.

The Maggie M is a 22m Euro carrier vessel built to an exacting specification for GSS by Neptune Marine services. This vessel was the first Euro Carrier constructed for GSS and the beginning of a now 8 year relationship between the directors of both companies.

Jan Peute Managing Director of GSS BV in Holland received the call from a fellow Dutch company requesting support for a forthcoming project in Alaska.

Mr Peute said at the time the prospect seemed daunting if not almost impossible to sail a European vessel such a distance on its own keel and into US waters subject to the Jones Act. “I was however confident that our team would be able to rise to the challenge and that they were the right people to do it. The Maggie M had been to jobs in a series of challenging locations over the preceding period having worked in Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao Buenaventura to name but a few.”

Having received the green light from the group MD Jamie McGarry a truly European team stepped into gear preparing for the passage. Technical teams from the Netherlands prepared the boat by slipping, and compliance teams upgraded the vessel’s classification status to CAT1 enabling the passage to undertaken. Meanwhile a team of Dutch and French shipping ad legal experts prepared the contracts and addressed the Jones act waiver for the vessel. As she was carrying out ultra-shallow anchor handing works she was cleared for works in the US.

The passage from Panama West to Prudhoe Bay was undertaken by GSS’ own captains and involved a fuel and supply stop in Mexico and a further stop to assist client mobilisation in Vancouver. From Vancouver the Maggie M sailed to Prudhoe in convey with a number of US flagged vessels transiting the Bering Sea with a short stop in Dutch Harbour.

On arrival at site in Alaska a crew change was conducted with fresh crew immediately setting about the 24hour operations required during the contract to assist a cable lay barge. All the operations were carried out with no incidents and to the satisfaction of the client.

The Maggie M is now retracing her steps to Panama in readiness for her next assignment.

By Jake Frith