Photo By Giancarlo Casem | Crew members from the Buena Vista, a vessel operated by 97th Transportation...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait -- Braving the open sea and possible enemy attack, Soldiers from Third Army/U.S. Army Central provided vital fuel for an oil platform in the Persian Gulf, July 9.
Soldiers from the Aviation Classification and Repair Activity Depot worked together with other Soldiers from the 97th Transportation Detachment. The success of the mission was hinged on the cooperation between the two units. Without one the fuel would have never made it to the oil platform.
"The mission was twofold - to provide fuel to an active working oil platform run by US military and civilian contract personnel and to deliver two navy patrol vessels to a second platform operated by multi-national forces," said Sgt. Kenneth King Jr., a petroleum supply specialist with Task Force AVCRAD.
The first platform pumped crude oil for docked tankers. The oil platform provides a source of income for the people of Iraq. Its defense is vital to the stability of the nation.
"The first part of the mission was vital from the standpoint that generators provide the only power to these platforms," King said. "Without fuel to power the generators, the entire mission at that particular site is compromised."
The second mission took place at another platform which served as an outpost for coalition forces. The Soldiers of the 97th Trans. Det., 1st Theater Sustainment Command, provided a way for Navy personnel on the platform to switch out two patrol boats.
"The second part of the mission was necessary to replace vessels that had either needed servicing at a land-based shop, or were just past their prime on operability," said King, a native of Lawrenceburg, Ky.
The transportation services provided by the 97th were integral to both missions.
"We possess the only vessel that the fuel tanker can load up on and transfer the fuel up to the platforms," said Chief Patrick Wick, the boat master for the Buena Vista. The fuel tanker and the two Navy patrol boats were under his stead during the mission.
As a member of the 1st TSC, the 175 ft-long vessel and others like it provides a way for materiel to be transported in and out of the area of operations in Kuwait.
"We play a vital role for the Persian gulf," said Wick, a native of Dundee, N.Y. "We can pretty much run the vessel into places where other ships can't go. We can haul retro-grade out of theater down to Qatar and haul supplies back up north."
During the first mission, massive fuel ships dwarfed the Buena Vista, but the boat's mission was just as immense as the other ships' girth.
"Without fuel to power the generators, the entire operation shuts down," King said. "Obviously, there are no stationary fuel points available for a sea-based operation like this, so it's up to us to load our tankers and take the POL (petroleum, oil and lubricant) assets to them. The platform has a limited capability for fuel storage. All fuel is stored in 55-gallon drums on the platform itself. It's our job to replenish that fuel supply every time it starts to run low."
When the Buena Vista approached the platform, crews on board the vessel tied down. Once the boat was docked with the platform, crews on the platform lowered a hose which King's crew attached to theirs. King and his crew worked quickly to get their fuel tanker ready to pump the fuel. After the thumbs-up signal from the oil platform crew, King began to let the fuel flow through the hose and up to the platform where crews proceeded to fill fuel drums.
During the fuel pumping, as the four-digit mark became within reach, the meter stopped briefly at 999 gallons. A loud, collective groan was heard throughout the Buena Vista. Then the meter began again and at the end, the meter read 1,200 gallons, well beyond any of the fuelers' expectations, King said.
The second mission took place at another platform. Two Navy patrol boats aboard the Buena Vista were dropped off while another two were loaded onto the boat. The second platform's crew used a crane to move the boats.
"The rig itself also serves as an outpost for our forces within the theater," King said. "By keeping the rigs operational, we help to continue their specific duties there as part of the overall mission."
By utilizing what both units have to offer, the 97th Trans. And TF AVCRAD accomplished both missions. A good working relationship between TF AVCRAD and the 97th Trans. Provides a means for fuelers to accomplish their mission, King said.
"It gives us the capability to take our tankers to areas that we otherwise would have no way to get to," King said. "I've been around these big tankers for a long time and I've never had the opportunity to see one float yet. I don't think I'll be trying it anytime soon, either."
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2007 08:33 |
| Story ID: | 11749 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 132 |
| Downloads: | 95 |
This work, AVCRAD provides vital fuel to oil platform, by Giancarlo Casem, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
