Boskalis semi-submersible vessel White Marlin has recently been on hand in Trinidad and Tobago to substitute a dry dock that is out of service temporarily.
Residents of Trinidad and Tobago rely heavily on four ferries for travelling between the islands. These high-speed catamarans require timely maintenance to ensure they do not face prolonged failure. However, the country’s existing dry dock is currently out of service, and delay in repairing the ferries is not an option.
In order to avoid a doomsday scenario, White Marlin was on hand to remedy the starting headache on the island. By submerging the vessel, Boskalis allowed three of the four ferries, APT James, Buccoo Reef and T&T Spirit, to be loaded onto the deck of the White Marlin in succession, after which the vessel de-ballasted so that the necessary maintenance on the ferries could be carried out on a dry deck.
This is not the first time Boskalis has used one of its semi-submersible heavy transport vessels for this purpose. BOKA Vanguard served as a floating dry dock in the Bahamas for the 67,000-ton cruise ship Carnival Vista.
