Hi,
just wondered if anyone on here knew if there was any system of colouring the small containers you see on oil rig support vessels.

I've got some small, around 10', containers, and I was thinking of using them in a yard or works, being stored or refurbished.

I've been looking on the 'Ships and Oil' website, and there are lots of photos showing these on vessels, but they seem to come in all colours, even on one ship, so I wondered if there is a system where the colour denotes the contents.

or shall I just cut loose with whatever colours are to hand ?

I also note that they often have numbers on the roof, is this to assist the crane operators on the rigs ?

many thanks in advance for any assistance anyone may be able to give.

cheers

alan

The colour is more likely to indicate the owner although that may, in turn, indicate the contents. Many of these units come from a hire pool.  A departure from the 'any content - any colour' aspect of this is often (not always) that the white containers are used for food. Some are refrigerated and may even be active and have a small electric motor set in to one end to drive the compressor. The supply boats have outlets for these to be connected at storm deck level.
The numbers on the roofs of some containers are used on the cargo manifest to identify which is which so that the rig deck foreman can direct the crane operator to place the load in the required place. The containers with a number on the roof will often have that number repeated on the loading door to avoid problems while loading the units at base...

Hope that helps, Allan.....

many thanks for that, gives me two options then, either paint them all different colours, or have a 'house' colour for them and assume they are being refurbished for the owner.

again, many thanks

alan

Extra info :in my experience, the majority would be blue in colour if they were from the hire pool. Worth bearing in mind if you are building a storage yard cameo.

Allan.....

cheers for the extra info, Allan,

looks like I may have some 'distressed' and worn blue ones in for repair, and some repainted ones ready for hire.

regards
alan

I was DSV based until last year rather than on PSV's but as Field Engineer for the boat I mobbed and demobbed kit many times.  It's similar info shown on all the different types of CCU's (Cargo Carrying Units) shipped:

Containers
Open Tops
Half Heights
ISO Tanks and IBC's
Framed Tanks
Baskets

...I've dug out some pics of some of the kit we used to carry if it helps, these were on the DSV but could have been out on a platform a couple of days after I shipped them back.  When we back-loaded from installations it sticks in mind the units were always a little more rough looking than the ones we used to get. The pics help show you some colours, the idents and the varying "patina".  One important thing to note and include is that you're not allowed to lift using the ISO pockets so the pocket is often wholly cut out and re-boxed with padeyes.  There's a 5 wire set of slings on each container, with the 5th wire and masterlink hanging down to about waist level so the deck crew don't have to work at height to attach / detach from the hook (you can see this in the pics).  So offshore ISO's aren't stackable like you see in marine traffic (not happens when they're in storage though).  I don't know about the ISO tanks on PSV's, as we only lifted them alongside we used a dedicated lifting frame with the 4 automatic pod-locks.  Not allowed to be lifted offshore -I expect the same on PSV's.  Most smaller tanks I saw had the same padeyes and 5 wire slings as per containers.

Remember these also often carry chemicals so they'll have the standard diamond shaped warnings on them.  You can get those off google and / or make up small copies using powerpoint.

From memory...

Transmit, Ferguson Seacabs, Container Company and a few others were always blue
OEG were a deep orange colour
Swire were always red
Client containers could be blue, white or yellow (we didn't take provisions on in containers so good point about the colour of ones out to installations)

...Hope this is of some use and I don't believe there's anything commercially sensitive in my pics, might help add to the image bank of what you can find on-line.

Rich

Hi Rich,

many thanks for the info and pictures.

plenty there for me to think about.

PSV - Platform Support Vessel ?

DSV - 

cheers

alan

Nearly!

PSV - Platform Supply Vessel

DSV - Dive Support Vessel

Allan.....

 



alan

You could try looking up DNV 2.7.1 which tends to be the bible for offshore containers. I can't remember if it stipulates the colours or not but would be worth a look.

Regards,

Twinklekev

thanks for that, twinklekev,

loads of info on various company sites re containers etc, and that's only off the 1st page of links.

will look at downloading as a pdf, looks like one link lets you, and that should also include the container markings etc.

again thanks,

alan