Marine Salvage Operation, Bay of Campeche, Mexico

Liftboat Pico 4

Dan became defacto representative to PEMEX because he was the only Spanish-speaker on the Mammoet Salvage Americas crew.

Nighttime on the deck of Mammoet’s chartered work vessel, Topaz Captain.

Location of Pico 4, Bay of Campeche, Mexico

The leg section of the Pico 4 comes aboard

Responsibility : Salvage Superintendent

Mammoet Salvage Americas was contracted by Pico Liftboats to remove three liftboat legs from the seafloor in the Akal field in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico

The Liftboat Pico 4 had suffered a “punch through” while attempting to jack up next to a production platform in the PEMEX Akal Field. The vessel was rescued by divers cutting her free from her damaged legs, which were deeply embedded in the seafloor. PEMEX demanded that Pico arrange for the removal of the legs, as a condition of continued permission to operate in PEMEX fields.

A lack of transparency regarding the nature of the accident, and the nature of the seafloor resulted in serious operational complications and delays in the operation, but ultimately, Mammoet succeeded in removing the legs from the seafloor in the vicinity of the platform.

The operation was conducted in an area of heavy PEMEX activity, managing both the risks inherent of simultaneous operations, and the known presence of H₂S in the field.

Porter served as assistant salvage master for the project overall, Salvage Master during dredging operations, and the only Spanish-speaker on the Mammoet Salvage Americas crew.

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