The last move was all about getting a Flotel up close and personal to a platform, close enough to install a bridge between the two so workers could eat and sleep on the flotel and work on the platform.

This was done successfully with the help of the AHV’s Balder Viking, Brage Viking, Magne Viking and the Island Vanguard and with a great team of people.

Here is the platform the Gannet A from a stand-off location.

One of the AHV’s

And the reason we couldn’t get off the Flotel, got to say thanks to Jim for drinking all his coffee, eating all the Tab Nabs and just annoying him for those extra days.

As it gets closer the guys on deck get ready and between two of them throw a cable around the buoy.

Once lassoed the winch driver pulls the buoy up and over the roller.

And then made secure on deck, all in a days work for these guys.

Here is a couple on their own, in the winter these boat spend a lot of time way up north breaking up the ice sheets.

You can just make out a FPSO on the horizon.

We can’t forget the other boat, the Island Vanguard, there is a couple of our guys on it, feeling a bit queasy I bet.

It didn’t look that bad from back here.

Looking from here I was hoping they would send the crane down, at least for our bags.

We managed the steps and after a safety brief made our way to our cabins, this rig is a Flotel, accommodation only, so it’s quiet and clean, even outside. At full capacity it can sleep around 350 people, but as we are moving it to a new location after a re-fit in Copenhagen there is only 52 of us onboard.

Here’s something I don’t get to see every day, a Maersk Supply boat having some work done in dry dock. Cool.

Have a great weekend.

Now this is just the cold buffet, the hot stuff was on the other side.

I never did make it home, after one night in Aberdeen I flew out to Copenhagen and have joined another rig, let’s see if this one can come close to the MR.

Thanks again to all the staff on the MR and all the rigs I have been on. (I’m never going to lose weight.)

Anyway, this is the view as we departed Invergordon, Invergordon in the background with HMS Sutherland moored in front.

HMS Sutherland is a Type 23 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She is the thirteenth ship in the Duke class of frigates and is the third ship to bear the name, more than 200 years since the name was last used.

She was launched in 1996 by Lady Christina Walmsley, wife of Sir Robert Walmsley KCB. Before this occasion, Royal Navy ships had always been launched with a bottle of champagne, but Lady Walmsley broke with tradition and used a bottle of Macallan Whiskey.

On the way now, bit of a job for the Pilot, he has to negotiate a path through the rigs left here to die and rigs coming in for work to be carried out, first on the right is the J W McLean, I was part on the team who brought this rig in for its last time, not sure of its furture.
Second one is the Will Hunter which is coming in to have some work done, it arrived a couple of days ago, we flew over it arriving, seeing the AHV’s doing their stuff from above was a new perspective for me, normally it’s all at sea level.

Almost out into open water, you can just make out the pilot up on the helideck directing the tow vessel.

Looking back toward Invergordon.

That set of legs you can see have been there for years, I heard the top of a once working rig was brought by a Russia company, the legs were left and looks like they can’t even be sold for scrap, which seems a shame, they don’t look that nice and would make navigating the channel a bit easier.
If anyone knows if that is correct or have another story about them let me know.

This is the other side of the entrance, looks like a bit of a gun emplacement going on their, I hope when it was maned there was a bridge of some sorts going to it.

I’m joining the Maersk Resilient which is a large Jack-up, it’s one I was on a couple of xmases ago.

Here’s a shot of Invergordon from a rig’s point of view.

Here’s a shot of the Jack-up in the first picture I took a long time ago, I’ll be surprised if its still there.

Some of the locals just carry on as if nothing is happening.

Here’s the bits you can see.

New Stainless steel front bumper and clear indicator lens.

New rear stainless steel rear bumper and rear light lens, these and the front bumpers will be coming off when Hank goes into paint but would rather make sure they fit now then when he’s got fresh paint.

New steering wheel and a Gene Burg gear shifter.

Have a great weekend.

We joined a jack-up called the Rowan Viking, this was brand new and wasn’t long here from Singapore, however if I remember it did sit in Dundee for a few months before I joined, due to red tape.

It a pretty big rig, 264′ in length and 289′ wide and can accommodate 120 people and can drill to a depth of 35000′.

At last we are on our way.

And I couldn’t resist a HDR of Dundee.

This shot is from a rig move I was part of, starting in Amsterdam, we had a couple of days before we left and found this really nice steak house, we would order beers and steak and sit outside and watch the world go by, mainly on boats and bicycles, very relaxing.

Have a great weekend.

I’m having some problems with WordPress at the moment, I find I’m having to log on each and every time I wish to comment or ‘like’ on anyones blog, this gets really annoying after a while, so if I don’t comment I’m sorry and I hope they sort it out soon, I have contacted them and each time I do the responses I get is always the same, “turn on cookies” which I have done but its still the same but with the added hassle of around 40 spams a day.