March 1 - Houston-based marine and energy services specialist Bisso Marine has loaded a 281 tonne umbilical reel onto an offshore installation ship in the Gulf of Mexico.

Using the 700 tonne capacity Cappy Bisso crane barge, the crew loaded the umbilical reel from shore to the installation ship. The consignment was then transported to a deepwater location 306 km south of New Orleans.

The move comes just weeks after Bisso Marine achieved ISO 9001:2008 certification of its quality management system after being assessed by ABS Quality Evaluations. 

The certification is the first piece of an expanding certification programme for the company.

The Bisso Marine certification included dive services, heavy lift services and additional support activities for the river, inshore, offshore and international operations relating to construction, salvage, diving, heavy lift, survey and transportation.