The berthing operation. They make it look so easy.

10.45
The pilot and the loading master come aboard from the Toboy and we begin the 4nm approach to the platform. Varandey has gone on ahead to break the ice.

On the bridge the pilot and captain discuss the approach and berthing procedure while the loading master and chief officer Aleksy Paramonov talk about the cargo.

With the ice moving from the west and a potential one knot tidal flow, the approach needs to be done carefully. It would be good to connect first time and be able to get the loading completed before any bad weather reaches the region. A unique GPS system helps the bridge team manoeuvre towards the platform gantry.

11.05
Kapitan Gotsky is 3km from the platform and due west. There is constant ice, but it is not thick. The vessel makes six knots with the icebreaker moving backwards and forwards ahead.

11.10
The helm is switched to the azipod controls allowing Captain Ermakov to control each of the two azipods individually.

11.20
The ship is now 3km from the foirot and Aleksey and three of the crew go out an onto the Forecastle. It is bitterly cold out side so they are wrapped up as they could be stood there for a while. They make the forecastle ready to receive the lines from the terminal. Second officer Alexander Ignatev goes onto the poop to get a heaving line and emergency towing line ready. If anything goes wrong and the ship loses power, he has seconds to get the line onto the Toboy which is hovering close to the stern so it can tow us to safety.

11.40
The vessel is less than 100 m from the terminal. The approach seems to have been extremely smooth. The captain and pilot are constantly chatting, the latter walking from bridge wing to bridge wing to check the ship’s relative position to the terminal A line is wound down from the terminal and taken onboard the ship, it brings onboard a mooring line and it in turn brings onboard the heavy hawser.

11.55

The chain stopper is secured and locked. It really does look very easy. That’s the first and second of the ten green lights achieved to be able to start loading. The hose end is now lowered from the platform gantry, while a wire line ahead of it is winched onboard through the bow loading area. Some of the crew use forked rods to ensure it passes over the top of the hose coupling. The top of the terminal swivels to align the hose better with the coupling. When the hose end comes onboard it is given a quick wipe clean before being quickly docked and the coupler closed. That’s the third and fourth green lights achieved.

1210
The inboard cargo valve is opened and then the coupler valve. The cargo pressure is normal and other cargo valves opened. Finally the double telemetric systems are verified and the hydraulics checked before the final green lights are given.

It appears the task of berthing has taken barely half an hour. However we have light winds, a weak tide and broken ice. The conditions are ideal. The ship only has to move slightly for it to be out of alignment with the terminal for operations to stop. The hawser that is holding the ship to the terminal has to be maintained within certain tension parameters. Too high or too low and there are dangers, so operations will stop.

Loading will take about 14 hours, so we could be away from here at 0200 on Sunday morning. The crew will have little rest. For the whole time the ship is at the terminal one of the officers will have his hand on the azipod controls, making the delicate manoeuvres to keep it in position while the cargo is loaded. They work in pairs, six hours on and six hours off until the job is done. If the weather gets worse, then they will be doing it for as long as it is needed to load the cargo. This is no lazy weekend.