Anchor handling in Angola: a successful mission

Last July, captain Samuel Péron and his crew aboard Bourbon Liberty 218 towed a barge off Angola for Chevron.

In 2013, former fisherman Samuel Péron decided to join BOURBON and the offshore oil and gas marine services sector. "I wanted to discover a new profession, take up new challenges," he said. He began as chief officer with BOURBON, a position that he held for 4 years before becoming captain. He then carried out a series of missions on PSVs and AHTSs around the world, "from Singapore to Pakistan, the Emirates to Vietnam and China, not to mention Africa: Tanzania, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, Angola and Namibia."

Contact with these different lands and the crews enriched Samuel Péron’s professional and human experience: "Each mission is a personal challenge. You can’t rest on your laurels!"

An operation with many challenges

Today, Samuel Péron is at the helm of the AHTS Bourbon Liberty 218. He has just completed a mission in Angola, towing a Camelot barge to a position 24 nautical miles off the coast of Malongo, in the Angolan enclave of Cabinda. “The barge belongs to Chevron, but it is Daewoo that chartered us for their client’s account,” explains the captain.

The operation took 7 days, from 5 to 12 July, due to the barge silting in after several months at anchor. The result was an extraction that was more difficult than usual, “even more so as the client had imposed a traction limit of 60 tons to avoid any risk of rupture,” he explained. Another challenge: BOURBON raised 5 of the 12 mooring lines, including 2 by the piggyback method, i.e. of different thickness, “the smallest before the biggest to ensure better holding.”

Korean operator Daewoo chose BOURBON for the group’s recognized expertise in anchor handling. “These operations are part of our DNA,” says Samuel Péron. He personally has accomplished around 20 of these missions, even though he says that no two operations are alike: “The context, the depth, the anchors, the rigging... everything varies from one mission to another. This profession is a continuous learning process.”

An experienced crew

BOURBON was able to send competent crew aboard in Angola for the de-anchoring operation: “The right crew at the right time is one of our strengths.” Onboard the vessel were 15 Angolan, Filipino and French crew members, “all experienced at anchor handling.”

BOURBON also deployed all its expertise for the safety of the operation. The keystone of the procedures carried out beforehand is the quick release test: “It enables us to check that the safety conditions are maintained in case of excessive tension on the line or an engine problem,” explains Samuel Peron.

An operation carried out in total safety with an experienced crew: mission accomplished for the captain, and “a feeling of satisfaction shared by our clients, Daewoo and Chevron,” he concludes.