BLUE MARLIN heavy load ship buit 2000

[aukepalmhof]

Built as a heavy load carrier under yard no 726 by China Shipbuilding Corp., Kaohsiung, Taiwan for Offshore Heavy Transport, Oslo, Norway.
08 April 1999 laid down.
23 December 1999 launched as the BLUE MARLIN, one sister.
Tonnage when built: 37,838 grt. 57.017 dwt, dim. 216.5 x 42.0m. Lpp 206.5m.
Powered by 1 MAN B&W 9S90ME-CB engine, 12,640 kW., one shaft. Speed 14.5 knots.
27 April 2000 completed.
Home port Panama, IMO No 9186338.

After delivery managed by Dockwise Shipping , Netherlands.
2002 Owned by Blue Marlin bv Papendrecht, Nederland, under Curacao flag, with home port Willemstad.
2017 Changed to Malta flag and home port Valletta.

2004 Lengthened, and widened by Hyundai Mipo Shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea.
Tonnage, 51,821 gt, 76,061 dwt, dim. 224.8 x 63.1x 13.3m. Draught submerged maximum 28.40m.
Total installed power 23,620 kW., trial speed 13.00 knots.
Azimuth thrusters 2v x 4,500 kW. Retractable, one bow thruster 2,000 kW.

BLUE MARLIN and her sister ship MV BLACK MARLIN compose the Marlin class of semisubmersible heavy-lift ships operated by Dockwise Shipping of the Netherlands. Designed to transport very large, semisubmersible drilling rigs above the transport ship's deck, she is equipped with 38 cabins to accommodate 60 people, a workout room, sauna and swimming facilities, and a secure citadel for protection against pirate attacks.

BLUE MARLIN and her sister ship were owned by Offshore Heavy Transport of Oslo, Norway, from their construction, in April 2000 and November 1999, respectively, until 6 July 2001, when they were purchased by Dockwise. The U.S. Navy hired BLUE MARLIN from Offshore Heavy Transport to move the destroyer USS COLE back to the United States after the warship was damaged by AlQaeda[ suicide bombers while anchored in the port of Aden, Yemen. During the latter part of 2003, work done on BLUE MARLIN boosted her capacity and added two retractable propulsors to improve maneuverability. The ship re-entered service in January 2004. Following these improvements, BLUE MARLIN delivered the oil platform THUNDER HORSE PDQ, weighing 60,000 tons, to Corpus Christi, Texas, for completion.

In July 2005 BLUE MARLIN moved the gas refinery Snøhvit from its construction site in Cádiz to Hammerfest, an 11-day trip. This transport was filmed for the TV show “:Engineering” on the Discovery Channel, and the TV show “Mega Movers” on the History Channel.

In November 2005, BLUE MARLIN left Corpus Christi to move the massive sea-based X-band Radar to Adak, Alaska, via the southern tip of South America and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It arrived at Pearl Harbor on 9 January 2006, having travelled 15,000 miles. In January 2007, the BLUE MARLIN was employed to move two jackup rigs, the ROWAN GORILLA VI and the Global SantaFe GALAXY, from Halifax Harbour to the North Sea. On 16 June 2012, the ship arrived in Ferrol Harbour in preparation for transporting the incomplete amphibious warship HMAS CANBERRA to Melbourne. The Australian ship was lifted onto BLUE MARLIN on 4 August 2012 and was scheduled to sail on 12 August, bound for Australia BAE Systems shipyard in Williamstown. The ship passed the Port Phillip Heads and arrived at Melbourne on 17 October 2012.

On 5 May 2019, BLUE MARLIN was briefly hijacked off the coast of Equatorial Guinea. The crew took shelter in the ship's citadel, while pirates shot up the bridge in frustration. The pirates fled before the arrival of the Equatorial Guinean frigate WELE NZAS and Spanish patrol boat SERVIOLA.

2025 Same name and owners, and in active service.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Blue_Marlin Miramar. Equasis, and Boskalis equipment sheet.
Sierra Leone 2023 35L sg?, Scott?