Скачать или смотреть Prospector 5 departs Harwich International Port with assistance of 5 tugs. 20th November 2020

The Prospector 5 has been laid up for maintenance since April 2020 and then in a warm lay up. A contract was agreed for a well exploration up Northern Scotland off the Shetland Islands in September. Prospector 1 which was laid up at Sheerness was the first to head North with the Prospector 5 to follow at some point. Three tugs made their way to Harwich where they were due to tow the drilling platform up the North Sea.

First to arrive was the Fairplay-35 at Harwich. Svitzer Sky and Svitzer Shotley leave the tug pontoon at Felixstowe and heads up the River Stour to assist.

Shortly after the A.H. Varazze appeared, she would be the lead tug once the Prospector 5 had been swung around and in the main channel. Also heading inbound was the GH Endurance which was would connect up with the tow once around the Beach End turn at the entrance of the harbour.

Both Svitzer tugs and the Fairplay-35 make fast as the Prospector 5 begins to lift the legs from the sea bed and become a floating platform. Very carefully the three tugs pull her clear from the quay wall and piles before executing a starboard swing until they were on a heading of 080°. Once inside the main channel, the Prospector 5 lowers the legs and waits for the flooding tide before setting off on a long journey to the Shetland Islands. The A.H. Varazze moves in to make fast as the lead tug.

Slowly they proceed out of the River Stour down past Felixstowe and around the 90° Beach End turn at the entrance of the harbour. Soon the turn, GH Endurance makes their approach to make fast once the tow had settled down.