Compass Maritime, under existing service agreements with our client and its support to the U.S. Navy Salvage Contract, continues to directly support launch planning — and the eventual manned mission launch itself.

We are responsible for advising on the identification of potential vessel candidates to support a recovery effort if the Artemis I rocket’s personnel capsule was aborted mid-flight. Compass Maritime identifies vessel candidates prior to launch and enrolls them into our client’s NASA Recovery Program.

We brief NASA just before the launch window. During the launch sequence — and if the capsule releases mid-flight — Compass Maritime must contact vessel owners and coordinate the movement of any vessels toward the capsule location to begin recovery efforts.

Now that Artemis I has successfully completed an un-manned launch, NASA has begun planning for future manned launches which will necessitate a fast response plan and action, which Compass Maritime will continue to help facilitate.

Under a U.S. government contract, U.S. flag equipment was needed to assist in lightering bulk vessels transporting rocks, sand, and other bulk commodities from anchorage to shore for a runway restoration project.

Compass Maritime arranged the charter of the necessary U.S. flag tugs and barges for the Ascension Island runway restoration project in the south Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Brazil. We helped our client obtain the required tugs and barges. We outfitted the equipment in compliance with Ascension government regulations governing fumigation, wood sourcing, and packaging, etc.

We also supported the implementation of crew rotation SOP for flights to and from the island, maintaining strict COVID-19 quarantine protocols during the height of the pandemic in 2020. Project completion is anticipated in early 2023.