VESSEL REVIEW | Wolverine Spirit 1 & Wolverine Spirit 2 – Bunkering barge tandem to serve Canada's Port of Prince Rupert

Canadian fuel supply company Wolverine Terminals has begun operating two newly acquired barges to support operations at the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia.

Designed by local naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd (RAL), the new non-self-propelled barges include the 142-metre (463-foot) long transloading barge Wolverine Spirit 1 and the 78-metre (260-foot) long lightering barge Wolverine Spirit 2.

Large cargo capacities for serving a greater number of vessels

The transloading barge has been custom-designed to accept up to 24 rail tank-cars on deck. These are loaded using a marine rail ramp in Prince Rupert using four rail lanes with a pair of onboard turnouts (switches), which RAL said is a novel arrangement on a rail barge.

Combined with a high-performance ballasting system and Wolverine’s dedicated locomotive, this barge can load a full set of railcars during a single tide.

Once loaded and secured, the transloading barge is moved using tugs from the loading ramp to the Wolverine Terminals project site, where once moored, the railcars can be drained into the barge’s hull tanks, which have a combined capacity of nearly 80,000 barrels of oil products.

The barge's ballast system is also specially configured to maximise loading and unloading windows at the terminal across a wide range of tidal conditions. A cargo offloading system will then allow for barge-to barge transfer of fuel products to the lightering barge. Empty railcars will be returned to the terminal, and the cycle is repeated.

Full suite of safety features

After the lightering barge receives fuels from the transloading barge, it is towed to client vessels in harbour where it will deliver fuel to their individual requirements. With a capacity of approximately 30,000 barrels of products, this barge can efficiently deliver fuels to oceangoing vessels at a rate of 450 cubic metres (16,000 cubic feet) per hour.

Both barges have been designed to maximise the safety of operations. In addition to featuring double-hulls, there are extensive containment and spill response systems aboard both barges, as well as firefighting systems. Access to the railcar tops is via a fixed gantry system with Safe Harbor access platforms/gangways, while access between the barges is via a swinging Verhoef gangway with articulated stairs that adjust to ensure safe passage for all combinations of draughts and freeboards between the two barges.

The transloading barge incorporates several other features to minimise environmental impacts. These include catchment basins under each railcar and additional catchment coamings around the periphery of the barge.

Cranes on both barges facilitate the transfer of equipment from shore and handling of hoses.

Both barges are fully compliant with Transport Canada regulations and are classed for their service with Lloyd’s Register. Attention has been paid to keep all potential sources of emissions low, with IMO Tier III-compliant exhausts equipped with aftertreatment, silencing for all diesel-fired machinery, vapour recovery for the cargo systems, and low-intensity lighting.