Propulsion

Both boilers on board a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker that lost propulsion off the Massachusetts coast early Monday are back on line and the ship’s operating systems are being tested, according to the Coast Guard Boston Command Center. A repair crew aboard the LNG tanker Catalunya Spirit found two malfunctioning electrical relays and replacement parts are en route. The crew bypassed the relays to test the engine and found that in the event of an emergency, the engine will run. Technicians restored full electrical power to the vessel’s switchboards Tuesday night. The ship, which is owned by Poseidon Gas and operated by Vancouver-based Teekay Corp., is at the future site of the Neptune Offshore LNG facility off Eastern Point Light near Gloucester, MA. The 933-foot-long tanker is not reported to have leaked any LNG. The tanker was transporting a full load (138,000 cubic meters) of LNG from Trinidad and Tobago to the Distrigas terminal near Boston when it ran into problems and went adrift about 33 miles east of Chatham, MA (see Daily GPI, Feb. 13). Once repairs are complete, a report from Lloyd’s Register certifying that the repairs are complete and satisfactory must be accepted by the captain of the Port of Boston before the Catalunya Spirit can resume full international service.