Another lockdown… another commute

[Happy As Larry]

I renewed my UK passport last summer. I used "an agent'. It was a very straightforward process.
The cost was about the same as going myself and I had no need to schlepp down to Bangkok twice - much less stress.

When next up for renewal I will do similar

[malmomike77]

I had no need to schlepp down to Bangkok twice - much less stress.

I think Mendip is look for the stress thrives on it

[OhOh]

"someone else can go on your behalf"

You are correct. My apology.

I went straight to:

Applying for a passport from outside the UK: supporting documents (group 2) - GOV.UK

But missed this:

"You must apply in person. If you’re unable to, someone else can go on your behalf. You must bring photo ID with you.

Bring original supporting documents and a colour photocopy of each one. The original documents will be returned to you.

You must also bring your current passport with you when you apply, and a full colour photocopy of the entire passport (every page including blank pages).

You can’t travel with it after you’ve applied for a new one - but you will be able to keep your existing passport for ID purposes."

Overseas British passport applications – Apply for a passport – GOV.UK

Which is an update from my last renewal.

[ootai]

I was hoping you could remember Ootai!

I'll have to get back to you on this one.

Good to see you have got your sense of humour back....... arsehole

[Topper]

I think Mendip is look for the stress thrives on it

Along with ponds to go wading in....

[malmomike77]

^ Mmm, he's not resolved the "how to capture all the fish in the pond" without it taking two weeks and a visit to hospital as yet.

I think given his recently found DIY bent, he should consider construction of a wheel chariot with which to take the pack out chariot racing. Make a good thread and give him something to occupy himself on his next Korat stint, knackering the doggies out is obviously a adjunct benefit.

[Saint Willy]

Yeah, my last one back in February this year took nine weeks.

But just to be clear, I didn't spend the entire nine weeks in Bangkok waiting for it!

A missed opportunity, for sure.

[Saint Willy]

I think Mendip is look for the stress thrives on it

To be fair I don’t think it’s stress that Mendy finds in Banagkok

[Joe 90]

Mate, back to your last post over page ... fucking brilliant ... one of your best yet.

Yep, the bridges look cool.

Thanks for sharing.

I concur, excellent photography.
Would love to see those sights and experience that cruise.
Some peeps pay thousands for a cruise like that and you're getting paid.

[Mendip]

^ Yeah, but I just make it look glamorous. You don't see all the boring parts.


Anyway... moving on from passport renewals and trips to Bangkok...

Mendip
I was going to ask you about the origin of both the Bosporus Strait and the Dardanelles but instead I went googling and it was very interesting.
However I didn't find out if both the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara were originally lakes that somehow joined up with the Aegean sea.

Well Ootai, now that I've got used to sharing the boat with a load of new people and am learning to cope with socialising again, I've had time to look into your question.

From what I can gather...

The Dardanelles and Sea of Mamara were formed millions of years ago by crustal movements and comprised part of the Aegean during pre-history. The Black Sea was originally a freshwater lake, well below sea level but cut off from the Mediterranean by a piece of land that included the Bosphorus Valley.

Around 7000 years ago the rising Mediterranean (caused by melting ice at the end of Northern Hemisphere glaciation) formed a channel through the Bosphorus Valley and seawater flooded through to inundate the Black Sea. It has been estimated that the volume of seawater pouring through was 200 times the volume of the Niagra Falls.

The Black Sea is thought to have widened by up to a mile a day during the deluge, burying the shoreline beneath hundreds of metres of salty seawater.

This flooding of the Black Sea has been linked to the story of Noah’s ark, which traditionally is thought to have come to rest on Mount Ararat in Turkey.

At present day, denser, more saline water from the Aegean flows into the Black Sea underneath the less dense fresher water that flows out. This creates a significant and permanent layer of deep water that does not drain or mix, and is therefore anoxic (no oxygen).

Below 150 metres water depth the Black Sea is anoxic and lifeless and the seabed across the Abyssal Plain (typically around 2200 metres depth) consists of a foul-smelling sulphurous sludge which is completely devoid of life. The water quality isn’t helped by the sea being surrounded by some of the most polluting nations on the planet, and what life the Black Sea does sustain in the shallower, oxygenated water is under threat from pollution and over fishing.

Anyway, what effect does all this have on us?

From 130m depth the Black Sea water contains Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S), which increases in concentration with depth down to 2200m. Within the deepest areas the concentration of H2S can be 12ml/l, or 1.2%. This means that at the end of every dive the ROV has to be hosed down before being brought to deck.

As I’ve mentioned before, everything comes down to geology!

[katie23]

^good morning, mendy! Great pics of the crossing.

What causes the H2S? Are there underwater volcanoes which emit it?

Have watched vids of the La Palma volcano eruption. Fascinating view but must be terrifying to the people who had to flee. Homes and livelihoods lost. On the upside, the island has gotten bigger!

[Buckaroo Banzai]

Below 150 metres water depth the Black Sea is anoxic and lifeless and the seabed across the Abyssal Plain (typically around 2200 metres depth) consists of a foul-smelling sulphurous sludge which is completely devoid of life

This should preserve ancient sea wrecks, I think I remember reading something about it.

[Shutree]

Mendip, when the ROV is checking a pipeline, what does it actually do? Go from joint to joint and look for bubbles or something more complex than that?
Are the joints numbered, is there some number visibly painted on or how do you know which joint you are looking at?
While the ROV is doing all that checking, what does the resident geologist do?

[Saint Willy]

^ Yeah, but I just make it look glamorous. You don't see all the boring parts.


Anyway... moving on from passport renewals and trips to Bangkok...



Well Ootai, now that I've got used to sharing the boat with a load of new people and am learning to cope with socialising again, I've had time to look into your question.

From what I can gather...

The Dardanelles and Sea of Mamara were formed millions of years ago by crustal movements and comprised part of the Aegean during pre-history. The Black Sea was originally a freshwater lake, well below sea level but cut off from the Mediterranean by a piece of land that included the Bosphorus Valley.

Around 7000 years ago the rising Mediterranean (caused by melting ice at the end of Northern Hemisphere glaciation) formed a channel through the Bosphorus Valley and seawater flooded through to inundate the Black Sea. It has been estimated that the volume of seawater pouring through was 200 times the volume of the Niagra Falls.

The Black Sea is thought to have widened by up to a mile a day during the deluge, burying the shoreline beneath hundreds of metres of salty seawater.

This flooding of the Black Sea has been linked to the story of Noah’s ark, which traditionally is thought to have come to rest on Mount Ararat in Turkey.

At present day, denser, more saline water from the Aegean flows into the Black Sea underneath the less dense fresher water that flows out. This creates a significant and permanent layer of deep water that does not drain or mix, and is therefore anoxic (no oxygen).

Below 150 metres water depth the Black Sea is anoxic and lifeless and the seabed across the Abyssal Plain (typically around 2200 metres depth) consists of a foul-smelling sulphurous sludge which is completely devoid of life. The water quality isn’t helped by the sea being surrounded by some of the most polluting nations on the planet, and what life the Black Sea does sustain in the shallower, oxygenated water is under threat from pollution and over fishing.

Anyway, what effect does all this have on us?

From 130m depth the Black Sea water contains Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S), which increases in concentration with depth down to 2200m. Within the deepest areas the concentration of H2S can be 12ml/l, or 1.2%. This means that at the end of every dive the ROV has to be hosed down before being brought to deck.

As I’ve mentioned before, everything comes down to geology!

Wow, i didn't realise how big the ROV was. From the other pics you posted I assumed it was about a metre long, and half as high.

^good morning, mendy! Great pics of the crossing.

What causes the H2S? Are there underwater volcanoes which emit it?

Have watched vids of the La Palma volcano eruption. Fascinating view but must be terrifying to the people who had to flee. Homes and livelihoods lost. On the upside, the island has gotten bigger!

It will be a fair while before that land is in a usable form.

[Mendip]

What causes the H2S? Are there underwater volcanoes which emit it?

My understanding is that it's the decomposition of all the organic matter that pours into the Black Sea that uses up all the oxygen. The lack of circulation prevents oxygen mixing with the lower levels of the water and anaerobic decomposition then causes the production of hydrogen sulphide.

I'm no chemist but there's more about it here if you're interested.

https://www.researchgate.net/publica...ydrogen_Source

This should preserve ancient sea wrecks, I think I remember reading something about it.

We find tree branches and trunks alongside the pipeline that could be tens or even hundred of years old. Nothing rots due to the lack oxygen and therefor no oxidation occurs (I think).

The Swedish outfit I worked for last year found some ancient shipwrecks during a route survey (for this same pipeline we're inspecting now) back in 2016/2017.

This is why Black Sea shipwrecks are such a unique find

Mendip, when the ROV is checking a pipeline, what does it actually do? Go from joint to joint and look for bubbles or something more complex than that?
Are the joints numbered, is there some number visibly painted on or how do you know which joint you are looking at?
While the ROV is doing all that checking, what does the resident geologist do?

The ROV is flown along a pipeline collecting all manner of data about the pipeline, it's position, condition and relationship with the seabed.

Digital video is usually acquired from three cameras: a centre camera and one looking at each side of the pipeline. All that video footage will be reviewed on board the vessel to check the integrity of field joints, anodes, coating etc. We also look for freespans (unsupported sections due to scouring/uneven seabed) and sections of burial (which are generally desired).

We use multibeam echosounder data to build a digital terrain model of the seabed along a corridor either side of the pipeline. This helps determine scouring, freespans and areas of lateral movement (caused by thermal expansion when a hot product is being transported under high pressure).

The ROV will usually carry a pipetracker system to not only detect a buried pipeline so that we can track it, but also to determine depth of burial which helps identify the profile of a pipeline and determine areas of upheaval buckling (also caused by thermal expansion).

The ROV will also be fitted with side scan sonar to help identify seabed objects and past evidence of trawling (at least we have no trawl damage to worry about in the Black Sea as there's no bottom fish... so no bottom trawling).

We may monitor a pipeline's cathodic protection (protection against corrosion) and in this case we're also monitoring pipeline external temperature at designated locations.

All field joints are numbered, but once a pipeline has been down for a few years the numbering is rarely visible due to sediment cover. Our positioning is usually good to less than a metre, even at over 2km water depth, so we know which number field joint we are looking at by comparing position to the as-laid or as-built surveys which were carried out at the time of a pipeline lay and commissioning.

The ROV acquires the data but ROV personnel are generally not responsible for any checking, other than hopefully noting something major like a leak or a new shipwreck or dropped container lying across a pipeline. The data is all streamed up the umbilical to topside computers where processing and interpretation takes place. The resident geologist has his inspection engineer hat on for this type of job and is responsible for much of the later review and reporting.

It's monotonous work... but it's work. Throughout the downturns in the oil and gas industry, existing infrastructure will always need inspecting. This kind of work is my bread and butter.

[malmomike77]

My understanding is that it's the decomposition of all the organic matter that pours into the Black Sea that uses up all the oxygen.

Yep, nasty stuff too, very poisonous. That rotten egg smell.

[CalEden]

Originally Posted by katie23
What causes the H2S? Are there underwater volcanoes which emit it?



My understanding is that it's the decomposition of all the organic matter that pours into the Black Sea that uses up all the oxygen. The lack of circulation prevents oxygen mixing with the lower levels of the water and anaerobic decomposition then causes the production of hydrogen sulphide.


Like your pond when it turns mushy pea green.

[hallelujah]

Oh well, as Mendip prefers to regale us of his tales cooped up with a load of hairy-arsed men on a floating prison , here are a few pictures for you to enjoy of an unexpected (ie enforced), but welcome night in Istanbul just over a month ago. Basically, hairy-arsed fishermen, kebabs and a couple of football stadiums (so not too dissimilar to Bristol if we can call the fare served up there football) .

Straight into the good stuff (BB will hate me for saying this, but, although very similar, I prefer Turkish food over Greek). We got a bit carried away with all that lamb on offer and my drinks weren't Pepsi.

Mosque in the centre of town near Taksim Square.

Cim Bom Bom! My taxi driver from the airport was a Fenerbahce fan who pulled me up for saying this when he dropped us off at Taksim.

Hairy-arsed (fisher)men for Mendip over the Bosphorous.

I think this is the Hagia Sophia just over the bridge in the distance. I think, but don't hold me to it.

Can you guess which Istanbul team play here (the badge and the colours should help )?

It's a great city if you get the chance to visit. I was last there in 2010 and Erdogan's conservative policies have definitely changed the place (the Efes signs that used to adorn almost every shop have been erased or replaced with adverts for water), but the food is great, the people are cool and you've got centuries of history there.

What's not to like?

(plus I've got a shitload of fucking Turkish lira going cheap if you wanna do a deal )

[malmomike77]

^ Nice.

Some developments in the North Sea related to wind power installations and how the power cables are affecting crabs on the Beeb. Seems they may have to rethink cables or accept ....... no new crabs..Making sure you stay current on developments Mendip, impress or bore the fook out of yer shipmates

Brown crabs find underwater power cables 'difficult to resist'

Brown crabs find underwater power cables "difficult to resist", a new study has found.

The cables for offshore renewable energy emit an electromagnetic field which attracts them and causes them to sit still.

A study of about 60 brown crabs at the St Abbs Marine Station in the Borders found higher levels of electromagnetism affected their blood cells.

That could, in turn, make them more susceptible to bacterial infection.

Alastair Lyndon, from Heriot-Watt University, said: "Underwater cables emit an electromagnetic field.

"When it's at a strength of 500 microTeslas and above, which is about 5% of the strength of a fridge door magnet, the crabs seem to be attracted to it and just sit still."


Researchers said work needed to be done to ensure offshore wind farms did not affect crab populations

He said that was not a problem in itself, but if they were not moving then they were not foraging or seeking a mate.

"The change in activity levels also leads to changes in sugar metabolism - they store more sugar and produce less lactate, just like humans," he said.

The researchers used the marine station's purpose-built aquarium laboratory for the experiment.

Kevin Scott at St Abbs Marine Station said: "The aquarium lab is composed entirely of non-metallic materials, which means there is minimal electromagnetic interference.

"We found that exposure to higher levels of electromagnetic field strength changed the number of blood cells in the crabs' bodies.

"This could have a range of consequences, like making them more susceptible to bacterial infection."

Researchers warned that could hit fishing markets, with crabs being one of the UK's most valuable crustacean catches.

They said more work needed to be done to ensure offshore wind farms - which need extensive cabling - did not destabilise the brown crab population.

The study raised concerns about the potential impact on the fishing industry

Mr Lyndon said: "Male brown crabs migrate up the east coast of Scotland.

"If miles of underwater cabling prove too difficult to resist, they'll stay put.

"This could mean we have a build-up of male crabs in the south of Scotland, and a paucity of them in the north east and islands, where they are incredibly important for fishermen's livelihoods and local economies."

He said one solution would be to bury the cables in the seafloor but warned it could be expensive and make maintenance difficult.

"We need to investigate further technical solutions so that we don't create negative environmental effects while trying to decarbonise our energy supply," he added.

'Extensive monitoring'
The study was published in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering.

Ben Miller, senior policy manager at Scottish Renewables, said offshore wind developers had to carry out "very extensive assessment and monitoring" of any impact on marine life at all stages of development and construction.

"The offshore renewables industry already buries most transmission cabling in the seabed as standard practice, and developer modelling suggests that electromagnetic field levels and impacts will be very low," he said.

"Research and discussion around any further mitigation measures is ongoing, as part of the industry's determination both to protect marine biodiversity and create a sustainable energy system."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-58869465

[Looper]

The ROV is flown along a pipeline collecting all manner of data about the pipeline, it's position, condition and relationship with the seabed.

Fascinating and most edumacational thread Mendip

I thought they could send a pig along the pipeline with a camera to do detailed internal inspection.

The data could be stored in the pig. Or maybe it could be transmitted along the pipeline using radio-waves since the internal radio acoustics of a steel pipeline might be good for long distance transmission of a week signal?

They could also maybe have a transponder in the pig emitting a signal that an autonomous ROV could follow for less frequent external inspection if it had a long lasting power source

Or they could have a little monorail on top of the pipeline for running external visual checks more simply. Only if the monorail is broken would they have to engage a boatload of hairy-feeted geologists with a yellow submarine

Can't they also detect leaks by measuring differential gas flow rates at intervals along the pipeline?

Where is the nearest patent office LT?

I am going into the pipeline inspection business

[katie23]

^are your pipes worthy of inspection, looper? Heh!



@mendip - thnx for the info about H2S

@hallelujah - great pics, nice food - thanks!

[Mendip]

(so not too dissimilar to Bristol if we can call the fare served up there football) .

Straight into the good stuff (BB will hate me for saying this, but, although very similar, I prefer Turkish food over Greek). We got a bit carried away with all that lamb on offer and my drinks weren't Pepsi.

Hairy-arsed (fisher)men for Mendip over the Bosphorous.

It's a great city if you get the chance to visit.

What's not to like?

Thanks Hal, this thread has been lacking some decent food pics!

My small experience of Istanbul has put it firmly on my list for a future visit... a proper one when I actually walk around.

Do you know what those guys were fishing for... did you see anyone catch anything?

And Bristol City are on the up... they're destined for the Premiership in a couple of years when they may even get their own thread!

Brown crabs find underwater power cables 'difficult to resist'

Interesting stuff Mike.

In the oil and gas industry many electricity cables are in use to power platforms and currently Equinor are going through a big electrification campaign all across the Norwegian Sector with many new power cables being planned and laid. All of these are trenched below seabed for protection against trawling so the Norwegian crabs are safe.

We often sea marine life attached to pipelines and it's thought the slightly raised temperature caused by a hot product or by the friction of a transporting product may be part of the attraction.

Many of these pipeline will form a barrier for migrating seabed-dwelling marine life for endless kilometres and I'm sure there must be an environmental impact.

I thought they could send a pig along the pipeline with a camera to do detailed internal inspection.

The data could be stored in the pig. Or maybe it could be transmitted along the pipeline using radio-waves since the internal radio acoustics of a steel pipeline might be good for long distance transmission of a week signal?

They could also maybe have a transponder in the pig emitting a signal that an autonomous ROV could follow for less frequent external inspection if it had a long lasting power source

Or they could have a little monorail on top of the pipeline for running external visual checks more simply. Only if the monorail is broken would they have to engage a boatload of hairy-feeted geologists with a yellow submarine

Can't they also detect leaks by measuring differential gas flow rates at intervals along the pipeline?

Where is the nearest patent office LT?

I am going into the pipeline inspection business

I think you're a bit late to the party Looper.

On completion of a pipe lay we will send an intelligent pig through a pipeline to check for ovality, weld integrity and to clean out the welding slag. Data will be stored in the pig and then downloaded on recovery.

During a pipeline's life, pigs are regularly used to monitor wall thickness and the effects of corrosion. Some sour products are particularly corrosive to steel.

We use ROVs for external pipeline inspections and pigs are used for the internal inspections.

Occasionally we have used an ROV to wait by a pipeline to monitor when a pig passes, as you mention. An autonomous ROV (or AUV) could be used for this, but it would still require a support vessel for launch and recovery, to download any data and recharge batteries.

Leaks are generally detected by pressure loss from a platform or onshore processing plant, however we may be asked to find the exact location of a detected leak using an ROV. The vast majority of leaks occur close to platforms where flanges and other connections connect pipelines to spool pieces. Pigs generally aren't suitable in these areas due to sharp bends in the prefabricated spools.

I'm afraid your monorail idea is a non-starter... maybe your time would be better invested in developing a mat finish for bathroom scales?

[armstrong]

I watched Captain Phillips last night but I don't suppose you're that appealing to pirates? (The stuff on the boat, not you personally, I expect they'd love you)

[hallelujah]

Mendip, they're hoping for anything really, but most of them get smaller sea bass that I think they fry in batter.

I've done a bit myself from the coast in Greece and ended up with various stuff, but not all good for eating. It was easy though. Just put it on the bottom with a bit of fish on the hook and you're in within seconds.

[Shutree]

I thought they could send a pig along the pipeline with a camera to do detailed internal inspection.

Is it difficult to get a pig into scuba gear? Cameras are fiddly things under water, can pigs be relied upon to take clear shots?