Thebaud Sea in Halifax soon after delivery in October 1999.
As I remember it, Secunda had an urgent need for a supplier to fulfill a contract, but most world shipyards were booked up solid and could not deliver in time. Halter Marine's Moss Point yard in Escatawpa (part of Pascagoula), Mississippi could meet the date and they completed the vessel in the fall of 1999. They did have to temporarily remove the wheelhouse to float it down river under a low bridge (since replaced), but it arrived intact in Halifax October 13, 1999.
A 2594 gt, 3406 dwt supplier, it was also fitted out for dive support, with a moon pool, and had a 100 tonne capacity crane. Powered by six Caterpillar engines at 1825 (some say 1901) kW each, its total output was about 15,000 bhp driving two azimuthing thrusters through electric drives. It was also fitted for DP and had a pair of 2500 bhp thrusters too.
There was a fire on board Februay 3, 2001 in the starboard engine room 70 miles off Halifax while the ship was en route to the Sable gas fields. The fire was extinguished by crew and a fire team from HMCS St.John's assisted. CCGS Sambro and Venture Sea escorted the Thebaud Sea back to port, but there was extensive damage in the engine room.
The crane was removed at one point but re-instated in August 2001.
The ship was included in the 14 ship fleet when Secunda International Ltd was sold to a J. Ray McDermott subsidiary in 2007. However when the newly formed Secunda Canada LP was formed and brought back ten boats back to Secunda ownership in 2012, Thebaud Sea was not included. It remained with McDermott Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. Fleet mate tug/supplier Venture Sea (Halter Marine 1998) was included in the buy back and is currently in Halifax.
Curiously Venture Sea has always carried "M.V. Venture Sea" on its bows.
Thebaud Sea had flown the Barbados flag on and off since 2005, but somehow was still carried on Canadian registry books until suspended in 2013.
Thebaud Sea was one of the few offshore suppliers ever to visit the port of Montreal. In 2008 it went there to load a cargo of Deepflex pipe for Nigeria. The pipe had arrived in Montreal in early April 2008 from Manitowoc, WI on the Ryba barge OB 185 with tugs Manitou and Vigilant 1 via the St.Lawrence Seaway. Thebaud Sea had stopped in Halifax in mid-March en route from Galveston to Montreal.
Secunda is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Siem Offshore of Norway, and has slowly abandoned the "Sea" naming system that Secunda carried from its very start. Although maintaining the blue hull with red and white stripes on most of its fleet, the most recent acquisition Siem Commander has not yet been repainted.
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As a footnote, Burin Sea arrived in Aliaga Turkey two weeks ago towing Trinity Sea. Demolition began almost at once.
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