Weeks Marine Journal

Weeks Marine Journal
Quarterly Publication for Employees of the Weeks Family
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Pacific Submarine
Drive-In Magnetic
Silencing Facility
(MSF) Beckoning
Point, Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii
The Weeks 64 & 161 in Rota
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What’s Inside:
* WMI@ Signal International Dry Dock,
Port Arthur, Texas
* HTBI Remote Location Anchor Install,
Rota, CNMI
* TYSSE – The Toronto Twin Subway
Tunnels
* HighLights: Guam & Future
Opportunities
* HighLights: Submarine Deperm Pier,
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
* A Giant is Born – “RD MacDonald”
Weeks 571
* Weeks 571 Configured as Fixed Leads
Pile Driver
* Stephen J Chatry – Senior Vice
President & Dredging Division Manager
* HTB 568 makes its way onto the big
screen, Hawaii Five-O
* Library Project: The Discovery of a
Blue Treasure
* New Tidings 2012 & Retirements
Weeks Marine Inc @ Signal
International’s Dry Dock
Port Arthur, Texas
Signal International’s WW-II Vintage mobile dry dock was a sectional pontoon type platform. It
was constructed in Hawaii in 1943 and commissioned to the war operations in 1944. It was part of a
fleet of 6 barge docks assembled for the U.S. Navy; three of them functioned as docks for battle ships
and three more for cruisers.
Stricken from the Navy’s fleet on December 1983, the dry
dock was decommissioned and eventually transferred to Port
Arthur, Texas in 1985.
The dry dock consists of eight pontoons each measuring
240’ x 101’ x 23’ deep. There were eight wing walls sections
attached to the pontoons that measured 100’ x 18’ x 48’ high. A
travel crane was on top of the wing wall on one side.
Aerial view of the dry dock after 2009’s accident
Each pontoon was fitted with below deck machinery flats, fuel compartments, offices and
quarters. The upper sections of each wing wall served as shops and storage areas. The entire dock,
404’ x 480’ when assembled, reportedly weighed 23,000 tons. It served the maritime industry until 2009
when it sank in 65’ of water, leaving only about 12’ of the wing walls exposed. It was declared a total
loss.
Picture taken during operations
In 2010 Weeks Marine Inc. was contracted to remove and dispose of
the entire sunken dock. The value of the contract was $12,395,026.
What a challenge, to remove almost 200,000 sf. of pontoon, 23’ high
from bottom to top of the deck, 800 linear feet of wing walls all weighing in at
over 20,000 tons of steel, and different HAZMATS contained at the interior of
the structure; all this at a depth of 65’ at its lowest point and zero visibility.
The solution to this challenge was to use of a “chopping chisel”, a 35’
long, and 8” thick steel cutting blade weighing 10 tons. It was guided by a 4’
diameter x 42’ long reinforced steel pipe set over the pontoons. The pontoons were cut into sections
approximately 20’x20’. Once cut a 6cy heavy digging bucket was used to remove the sections and load
them onto a hopper barge. The demolition tools were rigged by the Weeks 536 floating crane, a Clyde
Model 28 gantry crane on a 250’ x 64’ barge. The crane hoists are rated for 80,000 lbs in a clam shell
bucket configuration.
Weeks Marine, Inc. Newsletter 2012
Weeks 536 removing a pontoon section
A double array of oil boom containments was deployed on site to mitigate
potential spills from the engines and storage rooms inside the dry dock. Response
plans were set in place including coordination with federal and state authorities and
environmental entities in the event any incidents were to occur.
Captain Ed Singleton Jr. with his 35 years of experience on dredging projects
was an essential element on site. His remarkable skills allow him to account for all
aspects of the job (depth, mud, current, tide, steel structure, chisel, bucket
displacements, etc…) providing direction to our team of operators and leadership to
our deck crew. Excellent work Captain!
Signal International, under the manager of Kyle Cooper, made safety a priority
within the project. Their safety requirements were merged into our IIF program and
both companies committed to provide a healthy and safe environment for all
employees.
Weeks 536
inserting
chisel blade
into guide
ESCO Marine is our subcontractor on this project. They hold the second front
of the operation. Their scope of work consists of processing of the scrap steel for
recycling as well as HAZMATS abatement and disposal. They also provide us with
barges and towing services to transport the removed materials from the job site to
their base yard in Sabine. We’d like to thank ESCO’s team, Richard Jaross, Joshua
Greenberg, Clifford Poch, Ruben Barba and their field men, for contributing their
expertise and hard work to this venture.
Eighteen months have passed by and over 98% of the dry dock has been
removed. All that remains are small bow sections of the southern pontoons. The
operators say “it is cutting like gravy”. Our production rates have tripled over the past
week and the sense of pride and satisfaction is conspicuous among the crew.
We are looking at a project completion during the first week of March, then
the crew and equipment will depart for Gibson, LA to start maintenance and repair
work on 536. A well deserved treat for an extraordinary piece of equipment.
This has been a one of the kind project showing the cooperation and team work among the
different divisions of Weeks Marine. Our recognition and thanks go to the offices, yards and individuals
who have made a contribution to this experience. From the planning and direction of our management
personnel from the Cranford and Houston offices (John T. Devlin Sr., Mike J. O’Connor, Dan Goodman)
to the support of Covington office, Houma, Bourg, and Greenville yards to our team of field engineers
from Healy Tibbitts (Chris Yip and Paul Sturtevant, who traveled over 4,000 miles from Hawaii to prop up
the job with their talents on field management) this has been a combined WMI success. Our HSE
Manager Patrick Ross has supported the operations throughout the entire duration of the project,
looking after the crew’s safety and the environmental aspects of the job, planning and coordinating
activities with the owner, sub-contractors and field engineers are only some of the ways that Patrick has
contributed to the smooth-running of this project.
Weeks Marine, Inc. Newsletter 2012
And last but never least are the hearts and souls of the project team who day after day keep the
job moving forward: Crane Operators Harmon Sullivan, James Kimsey, Buddy Bailey, Benny Sullivan and
Andy Mangra; Chief Engineer Ernest Singleton Sr.; Mate Mike Rife; Welders Juan Paredes (from MASE)
and Luis Rangel; Deckhands Alex Aponte and Ernest Singleton Jr. and Runner Rebecca Singleton.
From left to right: Ernest Singleton Sr., Harmon Sullivan, Alex Aponte, Ed Singleton Jr., Rebecca Singleton, Ernest Singleton Jr., Mike Rife, James
Kimsey, Juan Paredes and Ramferi Galvan
This will end a very long, safe and profitable job that again shows the scope and ability of the
people and equipment of Weeks Marine Inc.
-
Ramferi Galvan
…“one of the kind project showing the
cooperation and team work among the
different divisions of Weeks Marine”…
- Ramferi
Weeks Marine, Inc. Newsletter 2012
HTBI Remote Location Anchor Install
Rota, CNMI
Our two month journey started out
with a job site specific IIF meeting with
HTBI’s remote location crew. After
discussing
the
challenges
and
committing ourselves to the project and
to each other’s well-being, the HTBI
crew of 11 along with Tug American
Champion, Weeks 64 and Weeks 161 set
out to get the job done. The job
included fast track mobilization in
Honolulu, cargo discharge in Port of
Guam and finally the installation of 4
mooring systems in Sasanhaya Bay,
Rota, CNMI.
Figure 1: The HTBI Remote Location Crew -bottom row
left to right -Justin Saragosa, Charles (Cap) Butler,
Ricky(Jr) Cabral, Ricky(Sr) Cabral, Dave(Andy) Anderson,
Dominic Baptiste -upper row left to right-Jason Saragosa,
David Makua, Gaspar(Lito) Cesario
Our first task was to fast track the
mobilization of the two barges used
specifically for the mooring system
installation.
This fast track activity
would not have materialized without the
help of many familiar names in the
Weeks organization. We have to thank
Jim Roskie, Peter Lee and Soraya Cortes
for the barge stability analysis on the
Weeks 64 with a 4100 crane and figuring
out the winch placement on the Weeks
161. Once the winch placement was
finalized on the Weeks 161, Ed Thatcher
provided a much needed hand in
procuring all the wire and miscellaneous
rigging required for the project. The
mobilization received strong support
from the equipment department with
Clay Hutchinson, Glenn Toyama and
Vinnie Lynch providing vital equipment
information for engineering design and
yard support in Honolulu to meet the
fast track schedule.
In parallel to the fast track barge
mobilization, the HTBI crew took on the
Weeks Marine, Inc. Newsletter 2012
challenge of loading the two barges with
cargo bound for another HTBI job in
Guam. Much deserved credit goes to
everyone at Victor Pier in Honolulu for
completing the loading of the cargo and
mobilizing Weeks 64/161 safely and on
schedule.
The American Champion,
Weeks 64 and Weeks 161 set sail to
Guam on 10/10/11.
Figure 2: Weeks 64 and 161 in Rota
The American Champion and her two
tows made the voyage in 20 days from
Honolulu to Guam. The HTBI crew flew in
from Honolulu to Guam on the night prior
to American Champion’s arrival and hit the
ground running the next day; working
around the clock to offload the cargo at
Port of Guam. Again the HTBI crew
successfully accomplished the task safely
and on schedule despite working in an
unfamiliar location with unfamiliar port
crew and equipment. The HTBI crew owes
thanks to Darin Mingo, Jim Halladay,
Megan Boardway, Mike Delaney, Mumi
Mortela and Orlando Tagalicud for
supporting and overseeing the operation in
Guam and Rota.
After the discharging of cargo at port
of Guam, the crew re-focused on the
mooring installation project; spending
little less than a week mobilizing and
making final adjustments in Port of
Guam. The logistics of traveling to island
of Rota took a turn from complicated to
annoying due to break down of the
island’s only commuter airplane. To
meet the two barges already in a short
transit from Guam to Rota; a 7-seater
private charter plane and a 6 pack dive
boat were chartered to transport the
crew from Guam to Rota.
Figure 3: Anchor touch down at +200ft of water depth
Once in Rota the crew completed the
installation in 23 calendar days and was
able to accommodate an annual Rota
triathlon’s swim course right in the
middle of the construction site, a tanker
discharge, and a couple of bad weather
days into the current job schedule. With
the help from HTBI’s GPS survey wizard,
Howard Pang, the crew was able to drop
a total of 6 permanent anchors right on
the exact coordinates per contract. A
new comer to the HTBI Guam office,
Paul Wydenbach, provided landside
support in Rota overseeing the
permanent materials storage and
transportation on shore which was
crucial to the success of the job.
Figure 4: Coconut Crab in Rota
We all worked hard in Rota, however,
the crew also had a chance to see the
island of Rota and shared unique
experiences such as trying Rota’s local
delicacy; the coconut crab.
Congratulations for the job well done
to the HTBI Remote Location Crew and
to everyone who made this journey
possible!
-
Kenta Okada
TYSSE
The Toronto Twin Subway Tunnels
The McNally TTC Subway project located in Toronto Canada is well
under way. The project has been split into four separate tunnel drives, two
North headings and two South headings.
The Northern drives when finished will each be 1549m long, with the
Southern drives each travelling 1185m. These tunnels together make up the
tunnelling portion of the TYSSE South Tunnels contract being constructed by
MKA (McNally Kiewit Aecon) Partnership. Together with the TYSSE North
Tunnels contract it will form the first subway line to cross the Toronto city
boundary. The Southern tunnels contract also includes construction of the
stations and emergency exit buildings involved, however these are all being
completed by the general contractor Aecon Buildings. MKA Partnership holds a
Tunnel Drive C-1-7 (1st Tunnel) Shortly After Launch
subcontract with Aecon Buildings to complete the tunnel works only. This
includes the construction of 4 hand mined cross passages connecting the twin tunnels, and hand mined connections to the 3
emergency exit buildings along the tunnels. The final portion of the tunnel contract will be pouring the concrete invert and curbs
that will give the tunnel its final shape.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Giving a Speech at the
Tunnelling Kick Off Ceremony
Total cost for the subway extension project (of which the Spadina
Extension is a part) has been estimated at $2.6 billion, with subway service
expected to begin in 2015. Funding for a project of this size requires several
investors, with funds being provided by the Government of Canada, the
Province of Ontario, the City of Toronto, and The Regional Municipality of York.
Many government officials showed up for our kick off Ceremony in June of
2011, when the first TBM was turned on for the first time.
McNally’s focus is now beginning to shift to the exit shaft and the
second launch shaft as the first TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) approaches
breakthrough. The TBM named “Holey” should reach the exit shaft wall early spring, with the second TBM named “Moley” following
shortly behind it. During breakthrough there is always the potential for ground to be lost and support systems are installed to
minimize this risk. A spiling canopy is expected to be used as a support system for the material above the TBM at the exit shaft, with
an inflatable grout bag to be installed between the tunnel rings and the shaft wall as the TBM passes. As the TBM enters the shaft it
will be dismantled into smaller pieces once again for shipping to the second launch shaft. The transportation of the larger pieces will
be done in a convoy with police escorts and several utility crews on hand to assist with any low lying wires. Once the pieces arrive at
the new launch shaft, installation will begin immediately. Already undergoing preparations to receive the machines, crews have
been assembling the steel imbeds and getting ready for construction of the concrete base slab. Once both machines are finished on
the Northern headings the landscape will resume its ongoing changes as the support equipment begins its move to the new launch
shaft.
-
Josh Campbell
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1
HighLights
Guam & Future
Opportunities…
The inside scoop..
In March’s 2012 edition of Building Industry
Magazine, our very own Rick Heltzel of Healy
Tibbitts Builders was interviewed for an article
on “Meet the Rising Stars of Guam”. In the
article (Industry Insight) Rick gives the readers a
few insights to the current economic situations
taking place in Guam. Rick also goes on to give
his opinionated forecast as to how much work
may lay in the pipeline, if any.
Watts-Healy Tibbitts, a Joint Venture Wins Associated
General Contractors of America’s Alliant Build America Merit Award for Best New
Federal & Heavy Construction Project
HighLights
Congratulations on a job
well done…
“These projects
demonstrate the qualities
that have made the
construction industry
great: hard work,
ingenuity and world-class
skill,” said Kristine Young,
the association’s
president and the CEO of
Des Moines, Iowa-based
Miller the Driller.
“Contractors like these
are not only building
exceptional projects,
they’re building a better,
more prosperous
America.”
HONOLULU – Pearl Harbor’s Pacific Fleet Submarine Drive-in Magnetic Silencing Facility is one of the most significant
construction projects of 2011, the Associated General Contractors of America announced today. As a result, the project’s
contractor, Watts-Healy Tibbitts, a Joint Venture, was one of eight firms to receive the association’s Alliant Build America Merit
Award.
The Watts-Healy Tibbitts team replaced a deteriorated and obsolete facility with one that is able to deperm – a process that erases
the permanent magnetism from the submarine hulls to camouflage them against magnetic detection systems and enemy mines –
the Navy’s modern fleet of submarines. The project was completed with no impacts to the sensitive in-water and shore side
environments and promoted sustainability through an effective recycling program.
The Alliant Build America Merit Awards recognize the nation’s most significant construction projects. A panel of judges,
representing all areas of construction, evaluated a record number of submissions this year, assessing each project’s complexity,
use of innovative construction techniques and coordination with partners, among other criteria. The awards, which were
announced during the association’s annual convention in Honolulu, are considered by many to be the most prestigious recognition
of construction accomplishments in the U.S.
Nahee Rosso
AGC of America
Looming well above the tree line and surrounding buildings at a shipyard in
Jacksonville, FL a giant is quickly taking shape. When it finally emerges off the end of the shipways this summer its
splash will herald a new beginning for Weeks Marine, and with it formal entry into the budding US Domestic
Offshore Wind industry. This newest member of the Weeks Marine fleet commissioned by the Construction
Division is the jackup barge “RD MacDonald” (WMI #752), 260’ x 78’ x22’
and 10,000 LT load line displacement. The vessel is named in honor of Rick
MacDonald, SVP Construction, who has been with Weeks Marine for 11
years as a Senior Executive and has been a vocal supporter for Weeks
pursuit of Offshore Wind Energy projects.
Beginning in January 2011 work began in house at Weeks
Construction developing concepts for what would eventually become the
RD MacDonald. A needs assessment was done to gather as much
information as possible on the operating parameters required to construct an Offshore Wind Farm based on the
still early plans under development in the US market. This was then compared to sizes and features of typical
jackup vessels and cranes operating in the EU market, WMI’s own jackup barges #750 and #751, and several of
WMI’s large crane and deck barges.
As there was strong potential for work in the Great Lakes, Weeks decided to limit the vessel width to 78
FT to allow passage through the canal locks. From there the rest of the general plan and dimensions steadily came
into focus. For this size vessel the Delong jack system made the most sense, especially since Weeks has much
experience with them on the current WMI #751 jackup barge and the old #245 barge back in the 1990’s. Making
this decision even easier was knowing that Weeks had twelve Delong jacks in storage at Houma Yard waiting for
just such an occasion.
The Delong jack system has been around since the 1940’s and uses a smooth heavy wall steel caisson pipe
leg with a pair of jack bowls on each. Inside the bowls are a series of rubber o-ring “grippers” which contact the
leg surface, each with a rubber “air bag” inner tube behind it. When the air bags are inflated it constricts the
gripper around the caisson, much like a python snake, which in turn suspends the bowl and thus the barge via
tension bars. Between the upper and lower bowl on each leg is a series of jack cylinders which raise or lower the
bowls to jack the barge up or down.
The next major step, a preliminary design, began with a parametric load study to locate best spots for the
legs and crane, size major section properties, and see how the jackup
would likely perform. It quickly became clear that for this barge to
work with the projected loads Weeks Marine was going to have to do
two things that separately had rarely been done before and never
combined on a single vessel: Eight legs with double-stacked jacks on
each leg! With this one-of-a-kind setup the RD MacDonald will have
an impressive 8,000 US Ton gross jacking and 16,000 US Ton gross holding capacities. In order to quickly raise the
barge out of the ocean to its working deck height of 60 FT above water, the old 18” stroke Delong air jack cylinders
were removed and will be replaced with 5 FT stroke HSI hydraulic cylinders.
Detail design progressed into a full set of naval architectural plans. Throughout the development much
input and advice was sought from many experienced individuals within the Weeks organization including Jim Irwin,
Danny Chauvin, Joe Patella, Jim Roskie, John Devlin Sr., Rudy Wohl, Norm Mitchell, Rick MacDonald, Rich Weeks,
and Dick Weeks. A final set of plans was sent out to bid and in August 2011 a contract was formally awarded to
BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards in Jacksonville, FL. A separate contract was awarded to Skyline Steel for the
fabrication of the eight 71” dia. x 1.5” wall x 160’ long caisson legs to be produced at their pipe mill in Newton, IL
and shipped in 80’ lengths.
BAE is responsible for constructing the
barge and deckhouse with a structural support
for a 750 US Ton Ringer style crane. Following
completion at BAE, Weeks Marine will tow the
bare barge to the Camden, NJ Yard on the
Delaware River.
Weeks Marine is self
performing the mechanical design and outfitting
of the jackup systems to be installed at Camden Yard. This includes erecting the crane, installing the jacks, caisson
legs, hydraulic power units, crane boom rest, sea fastenings, electrical, mechanical, and control systems. It is a
tremendous undertaking, but one that is well matched to the many talents within Weeks Marine. Everyone
involved is getting ready for a very busy Summer and Fall 2012. The project team is Chris Leykam, Rick Wilmot, Jeff
Laux, Peter Boshra, Jim Roskie, Jeff Barlow, and Joe Patella, with assistance from Soraya Cortes, Jenn Feasby, and
Jittendra Patel.
Search for a Worthy Crane:
The centerpiece of any jackup barge is of course the crane.
Based on typical requirements for offshore
wind and related projects the ideal crane for the RD MacDonald needed to be capable of handling turbine loads up
to 300 US Tons at heights greater than 325 FT above water, and foundation elements of 450 US Tons or more at
very low heights to the water. The list of possible crane manufacturers was short, and the list of possible used
cranes which could fit on a barge was even shorter. We identified the Manitowoc 4600 S4 Ringer, a nominal 750
US Ton crane, which can be fitted with 140 FT to 300 FT of type #65 boom as the best candidate. This model
Ringer was last produced 15 years ago, and a local dealer said “you’ll never find one in North America, they’re too
valuable – nobody ever sells them.” Failure meant the prospect of commissioning a new crane at 18 months to 3
years lead time, and a minimum 5 x the cost.
Undeterred the search was on to find a Ringer and a wide net was cast. Barely a month later on June 29,
Chris Leykam, Dee Campbell, and Norm Mitchell found themselves standing in a crane rental yard in rural South
Korea several hours east of Seoul. Surrounding them was a 1993 Manitowoc 4600 S4 Ringer stacked up in more
than one hundred parts. The crane was in good condition as it had been one of the last ever sold by Manitowoc
and had spent most of its life constructing a nuclear power plant at Uljin, South Korea for Dong Ah Construction.
A deal was made and plans quickly set in motion by Vinnie Lynch and Norm Mitchell for trucking the parts to the
Port of Masan Korea in August and loading to a cargo ship bound for Gloucester City, NJ.
Arrangements were then made with Paul Selnek and his staff at
the Camden Yard to receive the crane. The parts ranged from 1 to 85 US
tons in weight and 5 to 50 FT in length. It was quickly determined that
trans-loading from the ship directly to the newly renovated Weeks #99 deck
barge would be the most efficient method. A detailed loading plan with
every part was drawn up based on the cargo discharge sequence issued by
the shipping carrier then carefully checked against the #99 barge list, trim,
and deck capacity at every step. October 25th the ship, “Chipolbrok Star”,
arrived in Gloucester City and John Devlin Jr., Kevin Robinson, Jeff Laux, and
Chris Leykam were there to meet it. Together they worked alongside the
Longshoremen 18 hours a day for four days in the rain until the #99 barge
was loaded with the newest and largest capacity crane in Weeks
Construction Division’s fleet on its way to Camden Yard up the Delaware
River.
Currently the Camden Yard is shaking out all the myriad crane pieces,
painting, and performing detailed inspections and repairs. Back in the
Cranford office, the Weeks Construction Engineering Group is digging deep
into the details of the 4600 Ringer and how best to optimize it for its new
life high atop the RD MacDonald. These engineering efforts are being managed by Jeff Barlow and Jenn Feasby,
with close advisement of Jim Roskie, and are delving into areas such as the ring mounting, sea fastening,
mechanical systems, a folding mast, and custom solutions to some unique challenges of operating a 750 US ton
crane on a jackup barge.
-
Chris Leykam
The Weeks 571 Configured as
Fixed Leads Pile Driver
In
The Weeks 571, a crane barge featuring a modified
Model 28 Dravo, went to work in mid December 2011 as a
fixed leads pile driver on the Global Terminal project in Jersey
City, New Jersey. The 110 ton crane is driving 24” square
precast concrete pile for the extension of the berth at the
container facility. A total of 411 piles, measuring up to 90 ft in
length and weighing as much as 26 ton, are to be installed.
Construction of the Global East Berth Extension was
awarded to Weeks Marine in March 2007; however NoticeTo-Proceed was not received until late 2011 due to a number
of delays. The job was bid with plans to install the pile using a
hanging fixed leads system smaller than, but otherwise
similar to, the highly successful fixed leads configuration of
the Weeks 526. Planning and design for the new pile driving
set-up was begun nearly 5 years ago and has been advanced
by several members of the engineering group. Level of
engineering effort was dictated over time by the perceived
likelihood of the job being given a go ahead to start work.
From a design standpoint, the Global fixed leads has a lot in
common with an orphan – literally passing from one engineer
to the next as proposed start work dates (and engineers)
came and went. At one point, the 571 fixed leads pile driver
briefly became the 541 fixed leads pile driver as rig
availability slipped with passing deadlines, then slipped back
again. Engineering responsibility for this project was shared
over the course of the project by Jim Roskie, Kevin Robinson,
Evan Smith, Ryan Fessler, and Soraya Cortes before Jeff
Barlow and Thomas Mitchell ran out of delays and had to
finish the design.
classic Weeks Marine style, the pile driver
combines a number of new and existing components. The
leads are an existing set of Raymond boxed leads with a new
bottom gate and tip section. A new HPSI Model 26-60 spotter
pins the leads into the crane. The existing ICE 220 hydraulic
hammer was combined with an existing pile helmet and a
new sled. Extensive rigging was designed, procured and
installed to handle the hammer and leads on two separate
falls. Two additional falls were configured for handling and
lofting pile. An extensive access system was designed and
installed including a telescoping walkway on the spotter
between the crane and leads. And finally, new hydraulic lines
were installed to power the hammer, spotter and pile gates.
The rig features 156 ft of boom and 120 ft of leads.
The spotter measures 32 feet retracted and nearly 66 feet
extended. Minimum operating radius is 60 ft and maximum
operating radius for handling 87 foot pile is 80 ft. Rated
capacities for the 2-part hammer line and single part leads
line are 50 and 35 ton, respectively. Each of the two 2-part
pile lines is rated for 30 ton.
The rig was assembled and load tested in Greenville
Yard with significant contributions
from: Herman Alvarez, Hower Calva,
Carlos Contreas, Rich Deboey, Chris
Devlin, Rich Gural, Dennis Julius,
Victor Leitao, Thomas Mitchell, Joe
Patella,
Joe
Terranova, Roger
Thurling, Marco Torres, and Chris
Williams.
Over
150 piles have been
installed with the best production to
date being 7 piles in a shift. Project
Staff and Pile Driving Crew include: Ben Boisvert, Lou Carletti,
Andy Grando, Ray Slobotne, Charles Smith, Ed Soehngen,
Jason Soehngen, Marty Soehngen, Scott Sprague, George
Stoveken, and Jay Warnke.
-
Jeff Barlow
“I have every confidence that Steve is the right person for the Dredging Division at this critical
period in our history,” said Richard S. Weeks, President of Weeks Marine Inc.
Efficiently bringing together all the various
components of a complicated project is the key to
profitability and success in the dredging business.
Stephen J. Chatry knows the dredging business and has long been the glue keeping everybody together
and pulling in the same direction at Weeks Marine’s Dredging Division. With the promotion of Eric W.
Ellefsen to Executive Vice President, and his consequent move to the Cranford office, Steve is Eric’s
natural successor as the top WMI executive in Covington.
When Steve graduated from LSU in 1985 with a B.S. in Construction, he went to work for T.L.
James & Co., as a field engineer. “Although I worked as a deckhand during the summers while I was in
college, my connection to dredging was strictly coincidental,” he said. “When I graduated from LSU, I
interviewed with T. J James, a major Louisiana road and building contractor, assuming that I would be
working in the traditional construction field. To my surprise, the day after I was hired, I found myself in
Jamaica Bay, New York, on the bridge of a hopper dredge.”
After that surprise start, hard work and obvious talent led to promotions to project manager,
and later to contract administrator. Steve’s early years at work provided fundamental and important
experience, but T.L. James later became focused on disbanding and selling its various divisions. “It was
tough going to work for T.L. James in those days. The company was busy tearing the business apart’” says
Steve. When WMI purchased James’ Marine Division in 1998, the dynamic changed. “Weeks was
completely focused on building up the business, and I found myself on the complete opposite end of the
spectrum. I feel very fortunate and blessed to be where I am today.”
The growth in the Dredging Division during Steve’s career has been nothing short of astonishing.
In recent years as Vice President, Steve has worked closely with Eric in steering this growth in the right
direction. “I have tremendous respect and admiration for Eric and I will miss his proximity and the
personal contact that comes only from working in the same building,” he observed. “I also look forward
to continue working with Eric in his new role as we grow and develop an even more successful company.”
In fact, over the next couple of years, the Division will be tested when two major new WMI
dredges, and all associated attendant plant, management and crew, are integrated into existing
operations. Steve acknowledges that “challenges will present themselves, but I know our team here in
Covington as well as our project managers, field engineers, captains, chiefs and crews are up to the task.”
When the inevitable problems arise, Steve can bring his experience to bear. As a team player “my
greatest accomplishment involves being in a position to support the guys in the field and make their work
easier,” he says.
Along those lines, his foremost objective is to keep the Weeks team safe. “I will be
promoting the IIF culture in our company and doing my best to continue the successes the Division has enjoyed for
so many years.”
“I have every confidence that Steve is the right person for the Dredging Division at this critical period in
our history,” said Richard S. Weeks, President of WMI. “I have worked with him for years on some of our most
challenging problems, often the unusual problems that can arise unexpectedly when you work on complicated
projects in the marine environment. I am looking forward to our next achievements under his leadership.”
It will be a time of adjustment too for WMI’s new Executive VP. “I feel I have become a real Louisianan
having raised my kids on the North Shore and become close to Weeks’ substantial Louisiana family,” says Eric. “I
will miss seeing Dredging Division personnel on a daily basis as I relocate to New Jersey, but I am confident in
Steve’s ability to build on our successes together. We have been good partners, and he can take considerable
credit for the successes we have had over the years.”
For Steve Chatry, there is another meaningful reason to be proud of his work for WMI. Having been born
and raised in a special place like Louisiana, a place whose future is threatened by land loss and rising sea levels, he
is making a difference. “Weeks has created a large footprint in Louisiana for the last fourteen years. As a native
New Orleanian, I am quite fortunate to be in a position to contribute, in a very tangible way, to the restoration of
my State’s coastline. As an avid fisherman from childhood, I have literally watched my coastline melt away. To be
able to rebuild our barrier islands and reclaim lost land is incredibly gratifying.”
Twenty-seven years after his field engineer start, Steve Chatry is leading one of the premier dredging
companies in the United States—a company that is investing to help re-build his Louisiana.
-
Mark Sickles
HT538 Dredging sand
for Waikiki Beach
Maintenance project
Our Star..
HT538
Hawaii Five-O
Season 2 – Ep. 19
Air Date: 03/19/2012
Healy Tibbitts
makes it to Hollywood…
Special thanks to
Rick Heltzel for the episode notice,
Peter Lee for the jobsite photos &
Ivan Lee (Project Manager)
Episode Photos courtesy of CBS
Library Project:
The Discovery of a BLUE Treasure
Above: One of the blueprints examples found in the library, a 25’x90’ Deck Scow
On
June 6, 2011 a task of
that the engineers use in order to de-
blueprints dating back as far as
what used to be referred to as “blue-
fine structures, in order to improve
1910’s, 1930’s 1940’s. Interesting to
prints” was started here in Cranford.
designs, and in some cases serve as a
know for example, that one of the his-
base for a template in a new piece of
torical encounters was a drawing that
creation. The tool will be the cata-
shows a truss bridge section sup-
logued information, organized into a
ported by four steel girders. That truss
searchable data base, creating a re-
has been identified as a Screed Barge
source to improve our ability to provide
used at The Fort McHenry Tunnel un-
prompt responses when one needs to
der the joint venture of Kiewit, Ray-
carry out a change needed for a
mond, and Tidewater in the 1986.
cataloging equipment drawings, or
Thousands of blueprints, most of them
of barges, cranes, tug boats and miscellaneous items were found within
rolls inside steel boxes, in various offices and storage spots. These blueprints represent years of history of the
Weeks equipment and engineering
efforts as well as equipment acquisi-
project or for design purposes.
In this sense, the blueprints
specialized piece of marine equipment
found have become the solid ground
used for grading the foundation bed for
on which equipment modifications and
immersed tunnel sections. The semi-
repairs can start from. Those changes
submersible barge had overall dimen-
were and still are being effective on
sions of 165ft. in length, 98ft. in width,
the
and 17ft. in depth.
tions. It is to believe that these drawings correspond to pieces of equipment from our equipment pools.
The idea behind cataloging
drawings is to develop a tool that will
facilitate the way we search for information contained in these drawings as
well as get to know what is available
from them to enhance our design
work. The drawings have been a tool
The screed barge was the
existing
pieces
of
equipment
I remember that
owned by Weeks Marine. The blue-
around 2008 while working at Global, I
prints also represent a historical value
was assigned to as- built a Screed
for the marine and construction indus-
Barge. The work needed to be done
try. We have found and cataloged
within a short period of time before the
yard started to tear this barge into
have located and catalogued all 40
system involving a floating truss and
pieces and scrap it. Due to inclement
blueprints of that exact Screed Barge.
pontoons. Last year the drawings were
weather, back in January that year the
With this journey, I can appreciate fully
requested by the Virginia office with
as-built could not be finished and the
the significance of the structural engi-
the intention to build a similar screed
barge was scrapped. Now in 2011 we
neering required to develop such a
barge for The Midtown Tunnel project.
Above: Screed Barge Operation Sequence Drawing
Above: Screed Barge Image taken from the Article Construction of I-95 Fort McHenry Tunnel
Baltimore, Maryland.
Another historical encounter was the drawings for Delong Jacks dated back from the 60’s and 70’s. The Delong jacks are cylindrical barrels consisting in two sections that contain grippers actuated by pressure against the legs and therefore support the jack up
barge. The discovery of those drawings have been so helpful to complete different tasks such as creating new fabrication drawings of
barrels for new set of jacks on the 752, and also to analyze and improve the gripper system within the jacks for the same vessel.
Drawings have been identified as a representation of
I have been very lucky to be able to work on this task,
equipment that has originated from a diverse group of entities,
not only for appreciating the history it involves, but also for the
such as The US Navy, The US Army, Brown and Root,
knowledge I have attained about the equipment. Recognizing
McDermott, and Dravo; as well as companies acquired by
the information presented in the blueprints has helped me to
Weeks such Raymond International, Healy Tibbitts, T.L James
further understand structural designs, stability analysis for the
and Atlantic Dredging.
Coast Guard and general layouts for different projects.
An overall estimate of 8,000 drawings has been iden-
Management of this blue treasure is an important re-
tified, and most of them have been cataloged within a data
source for ideas, solutions and a knowledge base we can all
system that will allow us to better enhance the management of
have access to. This can be seen as a timeless endeavor that
these drawings. Once the blueprints were unrolled, unfurl and
will provide us technical information for many years to come,
flat, a recognition process to sort and group the drawings
as well as to preserve the historical value it embodies.
started. The groups were categorize by Cranes, Barges, tug
I would like to thank Jim Roskie who allowed me to
boats, Equipment of interest which included pieces of equip-
pursue the idea, and also for his support not only to put to-
ment that were sold or scrapped but its engineering work can
gether a plan, but also to guide me through this journey.
be kept for reference, and miscellaneous items which included
Thanks to Vinnie Lynch, Sheila Marino, Melissa Fran-
hammers, buckets, deck accessories, templates, winches and
zese, John Devlin, Mike O’Connor, Joe Patella, and Jim Irwin
more.
for their input in identifying drawings and providing me with
A system to manage the data extracted from the
necessary data to start the project. Also thanks to Kevin Koss,
drawings was put in place using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
Daniel Wassermann, and Keith Stratton who have really put
That system contains information from each individual drawing
the time and effort to count and catalogue the blueprints.
title block and has been categorized appropriately. The use of
the spreadsheets will provide a way to search and categorize
our equipment drawings. This information ultimately will be
accessible thru SharePoint. We see this as a valuable tool for
Weeks Marine going forward.
After the data of each blueprint gets its own entry
within the excel spreadsheet, a hard copy of that data will be
combined into a catalog. The Catalog will be divided into sections with the Weeks Marine Equipment Units. Additionally,
each section will be divided into two sub-sections, one subsection will be organized by Weeks Marine Equipment Drawing
Number, and the other one will be by alphabetical order within
the Title/Description. The final product of this Catalog will be a
published hardcopy called “The Weeks Marine Equipment Blueprints Catalog 2012” and will remain close to the storage area
where drawings are filed.
Looking forward, there will be digital copies made of
every blueprint. It is anticipated that by having the blueprints
scanned a creation of a manageable digital library will be put in
place to organize the whole collection. SharePoint will be utilized for this as well.
-
Soraya Cortes
A WELL EARNED RETIREMENT
A FAREWELL TO ALAN ENGLAND
Alan England, Assistant Vice President, recently retired after over 45 years of dedication in the
Marine Construction industry. During that time, he was involved with engineering and construction of near
shore marine structures including docks, piers, wharfs and submarine pipelines. The first 20 years of his
career were with Raymond International, and the latter 25 were with Weeks Marine through the acquisition of
Healy Tibbits / Raymond Heavy Civil. The engineering/construction staff of Raymond’s Houston office, of
which Alan was a senior member, became the Houston office of Weeks Marine.
Alan has held many senior construction and engineering positions including Site Project Manager,
Site Project Engineer, Project Engineering Manager and Assistant Vice President. Throughout his career, he
spent many years living in the Caribbean and South America. Alan’s assignments and responsibilities
attest to his mutidisciplined experience in both construction and engineering designs.
During his tenure in the field and in the Houston office Alan was the “go to” guy for junior
engineers and peers alike, especially for construction methods and adaptation of equipment. Always ready
to share his knowledge with peers, he often overheard someone say “ask Alan” when problem solving
required a unique approach.
He would then listen intently, and with his professional and authentic
demeanor, offer a solution (or usually several) that not only reduced risk, but was cost effective as well.
One of Alan’s unique abilities, with very little effort, is to study a project’s documents and
know every minute detail, cover to cover, front to back. On many occasions, during constructability
reviews, Alan would smile, slowly shake his head “no” and indicate that some small, important detail
would preclude us from doing it the obvious way.
Usually during engaging discussion it would become
apparent that he was correct, it could not be done that way. After which he would offer a revised approach
that could be accomplished effectively.
Additionally, Alan’s unique technical writing ability won the favor of many clients and owners.
During prequalification or proposal submission, it became readily apparent that Weeks Marine had full
comprehension of the project due to Alan’s ability to understand the documents and properly convey our
well planned approach. It was common to hear feedback like “you have
the best approach”, “your proposal is far superior to the
competition”, or “it’s obvious you fully understand the technical
aspects of the project”. These responses to the effort put forth were
certainly a result of Alan’s abilities.
Alan and his wife Nury (from Chile) have two children and three
grand children. They are long time residents of Houston, Texas and have
been married for 41 years. During their retirement, they plan to spend
as much time with their growing family as possible. As well, they have
travel plans that include the USA, Central America and South America.
We wish Alan and his family the best and take this opportunity to say thank you for the many
contributions and great working environment you afforded your associates.
Congratulations on an
outstanding career!
-
Tom Boynton
Employee Tidings 2012
Marion Oshiro from Healy Tibbitts Builders, in
st
Hawaii retired on January 31 after six years of
service. On behalf of Weeks Marine Inc, & Healy
Tibbitts Builders, Mahalo (Thank you) and
Ho'omaika'i 'Ana (Congratulations)
Melissa Franzese, New Jersey based Field
Engineer and her boyfriend Jonathan Landis, were
th
engaged on February 18 and are planning a fall
wedding. Join us in congratulating Melissa &
Jonathan.
Alan Araki from Healy Tibbitts Builders, in
th
Hawaii retired on February 29 after twelve
years of service. On behalf of Weeks Marine
Inc, & Healy Tibbitts Builders, Mahalo and
Ho'omaika'i 'Ana
Lisa Prasto, New Jersey based Field Engineer
and her boyfriend Chris Wancowicz, are
engaged and planning to be married on August
th
8 of this year. Congratulations!!

Colin, Joseph C.
Dredging
Field Engineer
Dillon, Robert G.
Dredging
Site Safety and Health Officer
Estep, Matthew
Dredging
Administrative Coordinator
Glover, John E. II
Dredging
Field Engineer
Keahi-Wilson, Marlene
Administrative Assistant
Krakowski, Ryan
Hawaii
VA
Office
Lawson, Harley J.
Dredging
Field Engineer
Lee, Jonathan H.
Cranford
Estimator/Engineer
Lopez-Bruno, Jeannette
Cranford
Crew Coordinator
Richarson, Patrick
Dredging
Administrative Coordinator
Runderson, Cameron T.
Dredging
Field Engineer
Swank, Andrew C.
Houston
Preconstruction Service Manager
Whelan, Patrick J.
Cranford
Corporate Council/Sr. VP
Field Engineer

In Sports:
30 Years Doing the
Double Rough Water
in Waikiki…
HONOLULU - The annual
7K open water swim starts
and finish at the foot of the Diamond Head volcano on Oahu, is
also locally known as the Double Roughwater for its course almost
mimics the Waikiki Roughwater Swim.
Local standout Rick Heltzel has won the race for at least half of the
number of years the race has been contested.
The top overall six finishers included:
1. Rick Heltzel, 1:45:48
2. Bill Goding, 1:50:11
3. Victoria West, 1:52:36
4. Nalani Kaun, 1:54:46
5. Hudson Slay, 1:56:29
6. Kate Perry, 1:57:20
Group: MALE 30 - 34
rd
3 Paul Sturtevant (32) - 2:30:27
Congrats to our fellow co-workers on accomplishing such an
amazing task of endurance. To Rick Heltzel & Paul Sturtevant from
Healy Tibbitts well done!!