| Gene,
I've been led to believe that rig is doing some work to extend a
sewage outflow pipe, very similar to what is being done in Boston
Harbor.
That rig has been in or around the harbor since last October. It
had been moored/anchored just by the outer end of the breakwater
earlier this Summer.
djc
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Yeah, it's our friend, called "Zeus". They floated it down to 10 Lb
island a few months ago in high winds. The tugs had to clamp it down as
it was about to drift into the island. Now we're just waiting for the
Russian fish processing ships to come back and anchor off of Magnolia
point for the winter.
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| The previous replies are correct. The reason for such a large drilling
platform to work from rather than the more traditional barge is two-fold.
First, the pipe is actually being buried several feet below the surface to
protect it. That involves significantly more equipment to do than just
drop a pipe on the bottom. The local paper said they dredge by night
(when light would be obscured anyway) and then lay pipe by day when
there's some light available for divers to guide the placement.
Second, the EPA has forced Gloucester into this situation; they have only
another few months before the deadline, or otherwise the city will have
to ante up another umpty-ump millions for a secondary treatment plant to
work after the currently marginally-working primary plant. To meet this
schedule, it's been essential to work year-round, 24 hours a day except
when the weather is really bad.
BTW, they keep the platform at about waterlevel to work, and often this
winter we saw it jacked up 20' or more above the waves to reduce the
forces on it during winter storms.
J.
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