Mystery ship offshore has anglers talking

The maritime community on the Treasure Coast is sharp as a tack. It also communicates with more fluidity than a 5G cell phone network.

Late Capt. Dennis Steele of Port Salerno told me years ago that the word on the docks can spread up and down the Atlantic Coast faster than the internet will ever carry news.

He is still right.

Last Sunday, while Sean Heffner of Stuart was fishing offshore he saw an odd-looking ship doing work near the Six Mile Reef. He made a couple quick observations and snapped a couple of photos. He could see the name of the ship was Brandon Bordelon and belonged to a company named Bordelon Marine.

The ship immediately stood out to Heffner, and every other angler who saw it this week. It's 260 feet in length. It has a clear wide work deck, close to the water line. It has a large white crane mounted to its deck. But the signature feature of the bright blue and white ship is the helicopter pad high atop the water mounted in front of its towering bridge.

It's definitely something more commonly seen in waters of the Gulf of Mexico working in an commercial capacity with the oil and gas drilling industry than it is our nearshore Atlantic waters. Heffner saw it in about 70 feet of water with divers in the water near a tender about 3/4 of a mile away from the ship.

He uploaded the photo to the Treasure Coast Fishing Hub, a Facebook group with about 660 members who are connected to share fishing information and other related goings on. Immediately, the speculation among members began. Heffner even tagged me for assistance.

Some mariners have tried to investigate on their own, only to be stymied. Capt. Patrick Price of DayMaker charters out of Sailfish Marina in Stuart, for example, even tried hailing the ship on VHF Channel 16, but received no response. He said Friday it was deeper, in 135 to 180 feet of water at times.

Some of the speculation was fun. Some of the guesses were wild. All of the conversation, however, was driven by the same desire — the curiosity of the local fishing community to understand the ship's purpose. After all, what would a ship with such a specialized design be doing in the waters just off the Treasure Coast?

I felt it was my duty as the outdoors columnist to investigate. Following here was my attempt to help shed light on the mystery of the big ship. What I learned was fascinating, revealing and frustrating. It seemed as if my questions unlocked more questions than answers. Clearly I have more work to do. 

Oil and gas exploration: Could the mystery ship be here to explore for rich oil and natural gas deposits just beyond the 3-mile limit where state waters end and federal waters begin? What I learned: Probably not. I asked the Army Corps of Engineers and Florida Department of Protection figuring if there was any such work beginning, it would require extensive permitting. Both agencies said they were unable to find any information about the ship. However, this option cannot yet be completely ruled out.

Surveying for, or placement of an artificial reef: A ship like the Brandon Bordelon would be ideal for artificial reef construction with its 6,160 square feet of deck and 60 ton crane. What I learned: Nope. According to a spokesperson with Martin County, no projects are underway at this time.

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Beach renourishment or dredging assistance: There has been a ton of beach renourishment work going on along Martin County beaches — more than I ever remember in my near-lifetime living here — and soon, there will be a dredge project to help clean out sand settling in St. Lucie Inlet. What I learned: This ship is not involved in that at all.

Commercial snapper/grouper dive boat: Hub member Ben Bencivenga claimed it was his, "equipped with a helipad and everything," he joked. What I learned: It isn't. But it would be a harvesting machine with 60 total berths, 20 staterooms and 24 heads and showers. The ship, built in Louisiana in 2015, has an office, a gym, lounges, a laundry, a hospital and a remote operated vehicle control room.

Goliath grouper harvesting ship: Hub member Marshall Fulton joked about it. What I learned: Last week, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission directed staff to continue working on Goliath grouper before drafting regulations which may allow for a limited, controlled harvest. The issue will come back for more public input later this year. Also, FWC spokespeople told me they knew nothing of the ship and it's work.

Offshore windmill farms or underwater turbines for generating electricity: Fulton found the ship had been chartered by Oceaneering, a company which does consulting work for utilities which build windmill farms, and other companies which drill for oil and gas. What I learned: I contacted Florida Power and Light and was told by two spokespeople the research and development department has no information about any offshore projects underway anywhere.

Marine biology research: Could a shallow water coral be the next cure for cancer? What I learned: I reached out to Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch University and a spokesperson told me there was no indication any work was taking place there.

Notice to Mariners: Surely the U.S. Coast Guard's Notice to Mariners would have some information. What I learned: After poring through 84 pages of documents describing every channel marker out of place and a whole lot more, there was no mention of the ship.

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Next steps — I know someone knows something. I was frustrated I contacted so many people who know so much, only to still find this ship as mysterious as the Treasure Coast visits of the pirate Gilbert. DEP's Jill Margolius recommended I check the website MarineTraffic.com for some information. I thought my head would explode. It showed me more than 157,000 ships of all descriptions and sizes underway, anchored or docked on our world's waters. I did find the Brandon Bordelon.

I felt a little bit like a voyeur watching it move around in real time Saturday morning working just outside the reef line in a north-south line. Finally, around midday, the crew knocked off for the weekend. The ship traveled at 14 knots to a spot offshore of Palm Beach County where it appears to have anchored. I could not help but wonder if the crew was celebrating Cinco de Mayo with Mexican beers, limes, and chips and salsa. Perhaps there was an on-deck wager on the Kentucky Derby beamed aboard to ship televisions in the lounge areas or state rooms.

Hopefully, we will soon learn more about the Brandon Bordelon. It may be about to change our world as we know it.

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Ed Killer is the outdoors columnist for Treasure Coast Newspapers and TCPalm.com, and this column reflects his opinion. Friend him on Facebook at Ed Killer, follow him on Twitter @tcpalmekiller or email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com or call him at 772-221-4201.