Author Archives: Chuck Hill

Drilling in the Arctic–Ready or Not

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gCaptain points out that the administration is planning to expand offshore drilling and in this particular case the expansion will include drilling off the North Slope.

“U.S. officials acknowledged they lack a full understanding of the Arctic’s environment and ecosystem. For that reason, the U.S. decided to delay lease auctions in the Arctic until 2015 and 2016 “to use the intervening years to better address the science gaps,” Interior Deputy Secretary David Hayes said.”

This puts a rush on the Coast Guard to develop infrastructure in this area. Considering the pace of Congressional action and the hesitance to add to appropriations, it will be very difficult for the Coast Guard to be fully ready when the initial capability is required.

Piracy Update, 6 November, 2011

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The most dramatic news is that Kenya is attempting to seize Kismayo, a port in Southeastern Somalia, frequently used by pirates. They are after the rebel faction El Shabaab, but they have blockaded the port, and hopefully they will also shut down some of the criminal enterprise.

Over the last two weeks, two tankers have been hijacked, one of the Atlantic coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea and one in the Gulf of Aden. Petroleum tanker (HALIFAX), with a crew of 25, was hijacked 29 October approximately 62 nm southwest of Bonny, Nigeria. Vessel had been waiting for berthing instructions. Reportedly it has already been released. Tanker (LIQUID VELVET) with a crew of 22 was hijacked by six pirates on 31 October approximately 55 nm southeast of Aden, Yemen. The crew locked themselves in the citadel, but the pirates were able to breach it.

A small fishing vessel with a crew of two and two tourist on board been reported seized near the Seychelles.

Apparently for the first time in the history of the modern Somali piracy, fishermen have retaken their vessel, after it had been seized 260 nm SW of the Seychelles. Fate of the six pirates is unknown after they “fell into the sea.” Thirteen of the 28 crewmen of the Taiwanese F/V Chin Yi Wen were injured, three seriously.

At least four attacks off the coast of Somalia were thwarted by armed security teams.

The US State Department has directed their personnel to encourage the hiring of private armed security guards for ships transiting areas of known pirate activity.

In an area that used to be a piracy hot spot, a barge underway in Indonesian waters was hijacked 26 Oct., but it was recovered before pirates could tow it away, and a tanker (NAUTICA JOHOR BAHRU) was hijacked 27 Oct. while underway in the Singapore Straits, but pirates fled when Malaysian Navy and Indonesian vessels intercepted.

gCaptain has an analysis of the relationships between risk and the cost of insurance, noting that while risks appear to be declining, the cost of insurance is still going up.

gCaptain also provides a look at what has happened to some of the most unfortunate of the ships’ crewmembers, who have apparently been abandoned by the ship owners, and their flag state.

Not truly piracy since it is happening on internal waters, but attacks on two Chinese ships that resulted in the brutal murder of 13 sailors, as the latest and most outrageous example of lawlessness on the Mekong River, are getting a lot of attention in that part of the world and appear to be prompting cooperation between the four countries involved–China, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, and Laos.

 

Offshore Patrol Cutters–Are They Affordable?

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Earlier the GAO advised that the “Deepwater” program was unachievable, now we have this from the Coast Guard leadership. Nationaldefensemagazine.org reports:

“The Coast Guard does not have a firm date for when it will release a request for proposals for the final piece of its ship modernization program, the Offshore Patrol Cutter. But it does know that building an affordable ship is of great importance….”

“‘We are dedicated to meeting those minimum requirements. We think we can get within an affordable range using commercial practices’ rather than methods used to build combatant ships, Korn (RAdm. John Korn, Chief of Acquisitions) said. Among the initial industry proposals submitted were ideas to reduce costs, he added.”

(I hope that statement does not mean we are totally abandoning the intention to generally comply with American Bureau of Shipping, Naval Vessel Rules–the ABS NVR.)

There are two things this report seem to suggest.

  • There will be further delays in the delivery of these ships, and
  • The Offshore Patrol Cutters are likely to be less capable and robust than previously envisioned.

Conceptual Rendering of the OPCDisclaimer: The conceptual renderings posted on this website are for artistic display purposes only and do not convey any particular design, Coast Guard design preferences, or other requirements for the OPC.

The procurement is already well behind previously published milestones, which would have seen the first ship funded in 2015 and delivered in 2019. These milestones included releasing a draft “Request for Proposal” in April-June 2011 and a “Pre-Solicitation Conference” thirty days later. In reality this does not necessarily mean substantial delays. The timeline for planning is still relatively generous.

Some limits on the design are already planned to keep the price of these ships down. Quoting further:

“The Coast Guard has already made some decisions as far as what the ship will not feature. Gas turbine engines and a system to launch small boats from the stern are two ideas that have already been scrapped, he said. Other Coast Guard ships may have these capabilities, but they would be too costly for the OPC, Korn said.”

I’m not sure if there is a need to further reduce the cost of the OPC or if they are just selling the idea that it already incorporates reduced cost, but it does sound like they need to go further. Earlier I commented on the draft specification. The two engineroom requirement with a 50/50 split in power available seemed particularly arbitrary and unnecessary, although some form of redundancy would seem wise. A diesel electric or hybrid system would appear to offer the possibility of long range, better fuel economy (particularly at low speed), low noise, reduced manning and training requirement, and lower maintenance costs, as well as improved survivability.

An Integrated propulsion and ship service electrical system similar to the one on the Lewis and Clark class T-AKEs (and most cruise ships) could permit a design with only four diesel engines (one forward, one aft, and two in the main machinery space). With azipods providing propulsion, including a drop-down unit in the bow, and the ability to use generators forward and aft, as well as those in the main engineering space for propulsion, the ship would have three compartment redundancy for both propulsion and ship service power while minimizing manning and watch standing requirements. Looking to the future, integrated power makes large amounts of power available throughout the life of the ship. This power can be reallocated to sensors or to accommodate future combat systems.

The Coast Guard has had a long history of using diesel-electric propulsion including the 180 WLBs and has already used azipods in the Mackinaw.

In seeking to make these ships affordable, there are some things that should not be compromised.

  • Boats–We need at least two and they should include at least one 11 meter. This not only makes the ship a more capable law enforcement vessel. 11 meters seems to be the emerging size for unmanned and optionally manned surface vessels that are likely to fill a variety of roles in the future including surveillance, force protection and security, mine countermeasures and ASW.
  • Aviation–We need the ability to support an MH-65 and two UAVs, and the same facilities should also be able to hanger a Navy MH-60s for contingencies. Space that can serve other purposes in peacetime should be identified to support embarked Navy helo including magazine space.
  • Speed–To be credible both for law enforcement and as a potential warship, we need a speed advantage over the average merchant ship and we need to be able to maneuver with underway replenishment ships and amphibious warfare ships. To me this means a minimum of 24 knots.
  • I don’t think this is in the current plan, but these ships should have provision for accepting mission modules, like those being developed for the LCS. In addition to Navy systems, this will give the Coast Guard the flexibility to develop their own modules–e.g., class rooms, holding cells, research facilities, command posts, disaster recovery, or hospital rooms.
  • The ship needs volume to meet the heavy weather operational requirements, but it also means there will be room to accommodate changing mission requirements. In the long run, this will save us money. Reading between the lines, it appears that the seakeeping, which also drives the size, is one thing the Coast Guard will not compromise on.

The program is at a crossroad, and to some extent, so is the service. Is the Coast Guard a military force or not? If we don’t consider armed conflict in our planning, we might as well be civilians. We can dumb down these ships to little more than 270s, maybe less in some respects, or we can make a pitch a better, more capable ship that can contribute to the national defense, at the same time they better fulfill genuine needs in peacetime.

At a time when the Navy is likely to be cut, while naval challenges are growing; spending a tiny fraction of what additional Navy ships would cost, to make sure these are credible low end combatants,  makes an awful lot of sense, particularly when, mostly, all we are only really talking about is providing a little extra space, that also enhances their peacetime utility. The nexus of a desire to strengthen naval forces while cutting costs is a perfect rationale for funding units that can do double duty.

Related:

 

 

Different sort of Boat and Man-in-the-Water Recovery

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There is an informational video here about a catamaran work boat. That may be interesting, but what I found most surprising was the system they have for lifting a man out of the water. It is shown near the end. A single crewman can both drive the boat and scoop an unconscious person out of the water. Not enough here to say it is a good idea, but certainly an unusual approach.

Thanks to Lee for the heads-up.

Denmark Supports China Permanent Observer Status at Arctic Council

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Canadian media reports Denmark has told China that they support China’s application for permanent observer status on the eight member Arctic Council (Canada, Russia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and the United States).

As a great maritime trading nation, China certainly has an interest in the possibility of shortening the shipping route between Europe and Asia, but their interest goes beyond that:

“Wright ( University of Calgary history professor David Wright)… points out that Chinese scholars are examining Canada’s claims of historical sovereignty over the Arctic, especially in regard to the Northwest Passage. China, he says, wants the Arctic, with its sea passages, oil and natural gas wealth, minerals and fishing stocks, to be international territory or the ‘shared heritage of humankind.’…Such a view is contrary to Canada’s insistence on its territorial sovereignty of the Arctic islands and the waterways between them.” (emphasis applied)

As noted earlier Canadian and US interest don’t exactly coincide here, with the Canadians claiming sections of the Northwest Passage as internal waters, while the US considers them an international strait. The Canadian position that they have the right to deny passage bears some resemblance to the position China has taken with regard to its EEZ. The Chinese position, claiming “indisputable” sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, while considering the Arctic the “shared heritage of humankind” smacks of the the old saying, “What’s mine is mine; what’s yours is negotiable.”