By Captain Glenn Macario
Master, Stena Imperative
The tanker Stena Imperative moors at the Multi-Point Mooring in Chimu Wan, Okinawa with tug assistance.
From June 9 to 13, the tanker STENA IMPERATIVE completed a two-part mission at the request of Military Sealift Command and DLA (Defense Logistics Agency) in Okinawa, Japan. The IMPERATIVE had loaded 240,000 Barrels of Jet A and 25,000 Barrels of JP-5 with instructions to offload the Jet A at the Single-Point Mooring in Chimu Wan, Okinawa. This would bring the ship’s draft under 34 feet and allow her to complete the second part of the mission: to attempt to enter the Multi-Point Mooring a few hundred yards away and offload the JP-5.
The Multi-Point Mooring (MPM) was initially designed to only support tankers the size of T-1 vessels – approximately 350 to 400 feet and 8000 DWT. A Handymax-sized tanker (600 feet/50,000 DWT) had never successfully moored in the MPM before. It had been attempted twice before, starting in May of 2021 when a non-AMO Handymax entered the mooring but departed in less than two hours due to winch issues. A second attempt was made with another non-AMO ship, but that vessel ended up dragging at least one buoy off station and never fully moored. To make matters more complicated, one of the six buoys in the mooring (Buoy 5), the one dead ahead on the bow, had been damaged in a storm and removed, leaving only five of the six buoys available for use.
MSCO-Okinawa provided the vessel with diagrams of the mooring and much information. Two safety briefings were held, the first two days before entering Chimu Wan and the second the morning of entering the MPM so all hands were aware of the sequence of events and when the ship would abort, if necessary.
The STENA IMPERATIVE departed the Single-Point Mooring at 0906 on June 12 and moved into the MPM. First line was fast at 1012 and all fast at 1154, with two lines on each of the five buoys. At the beginning of the evolution, winds were 20 to 25 knots on the port beam but subsided after 30 minutes.
The single six-inch hose was connected and the IMPERATIVE was able to pump off all 25,000 barrels of JP-5 by midnight, thus becoming the first Handymax tanker to not only moor successfully at the Chimu Wan MPM, but also to offload her cargo there, thus proving the concept that DLA desired.
STENA IMPERATIVE departed the MPM the next morning and an extensive after-action report was submitted to MSCO-Okinawa for use in the future if DLA wants other Handymax-sized tankers to use the MPM.
American Maritime Officers represents all licensed officers aboard the Stena Imperative, which is operated under an agreement with Crowley and Stena Bulk USA.
The Stena Imperative is secured in the in Multi-Point Mooring with hose attached and ready to discharge cargo.