Category Archives: Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen, the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island (is not subject to the Antarctic Treaty)
Ulstein to Build Its Largest Offshore Construction Vessel Ever
Edison Chouest Offshore and Island Offshore are ordering two new OCV vessels through the company Island Ventures II LLC. One vessel will be built at Ulstein Verft, Norway, one in USA.
Ulstein Verft has been contracted to build a new offshore construction vessel of the ULSTEIN SX165 design. This will be the largest vessel built at the yard so far, as well as its largest single shipbuilding contract. The vessel is scheduled for delivery Q3 2015.
“We are very pleased to develop the next generation of offshore vessels together with Edison Chouest Offshore and Island Offshore. They are companies with solid and extensive experience. We have worked very well together on other innovative projects, and look forward to delivering a high-quality product that will serve the ship owners well for years to come,” says CEO Gunvor Ulstein, Ulstein Group.
“This is a demanding and challenging construction project, which suits us in every respect. We have a solid organisation that will carry out all the engineering work. Our group can offer world-class yard facilities and designs which attract attention from both crews and ship owners. We are ready, and looking forward to the assignment,” says Kristian Sætre, managing director, Ulstein Verft.
First ULSTEIN design in USA
Island Ventures II LLC has also ordered design and engineering packages for the construction of an ULSTEIN SX165 design vessel at Edison Chouest’s own yard in the United States. In addition, this agreement includes options. This will be the first ULSTEIN designed vessel to be constructed in the U.S.
“We look forward to adding these vessels to our fleet. The cooperation between our companies is excellent and we look forward to working with ULSTEIN on the construction of these multifunctional vessels,” says CEO Gary Chouest, Edison Chouest Offshore.
Island Offshore’s current fleet includes four vessels from ULSTEIN. In addition, a construction vessel for Island Ventures II LLC is currently under construction at Ulstein Verft for delivery in June 2014.
Facts about the vessels
The newly developed SX165 design has many qualities. The vessel is 28 metres wide and 145.7 metres long and can accommodate 200 people. She is equipped with two cranes that can lift 400 tons and 140 tons, respectively. She has a large moon pool measuring 11.2 by 12 metres plus two smaller moon pools with ROVs installed in a centrally located hangar. The vessel has a total of three separate engine rooms to provide extreme operational reliability: if a major error occurs and one of the engine rooms goes out of service, the ship will still have two-thirds of her operational capacity.
Health, safety and the environment have been fully considered in the development of this design. For example, the vessel will be delivered in accordance with the international regulation MLC2006 that sets out the comfort and safety requirements for the crew. The ship has four lifeboats, two on each side. In addition, the vessel is equipped with SCR catalyst system for NOx emission reduction.
Press Release, October 25, 2013
DeepOcean Pens Long Term Charter Deal for New OSCV
Norway’s DeepOcean has entered into a contract for long term charter of an offshore support and construction vessel (OSCV) from Rem Ship AS.
“DeepOcean is established as a leading subsea services and installation contractor in the North Sea. In order to maintain and strengthen our leading position in this market, we are currently investing in our fleet of owned and chartered vessels.” says DeepOcean AS President Mads Bardsen.
The new build is a MT6022 design, with length of 108 meters and 22 meters breadth. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2014.
In addition to the new build, DeepOcean has already chartered the Rem Forza from Rem Ship AS. The vessel will be fitted with an AHC offshore crane and two work class ROVs and associated Launch and Recovery Systems.
DeepOcean Pens Long Term Charter Deal for New OSCV| Offshore Energy Today.
Update: Floatel Superior Stable Again. Will be Towed to Land, Statoil Says
After the PSA Norway today informed of Floatel Superior stability incident which occurred this morning in the Norwegian Sea, Statoil has provided a more detailed insight into the matter.
The oil company announced on its website that, after a hole was discovered in the rig’s ballast tank, causing the rig to tilt 3-4 degrees, the crew of 374 have mustered at the lifeboat stations and evacuation by helicopter is taking place.
“The rig’s stability is now re-established” Statoil said and added that Floatel Superior would be towed to land in due course.
Statoil has set up a personnel reception centre in Kristiansund. Six helicopters and an emergency response vessel have been deployed in order to assist the rig. In addition, an anchor handling vessel will be dispatched to inspect the damage.
Owned by the Swedish company Floatel, the Floatel Superior is a dynamically-positioned (DP-3) semi-submersible facility with a living quarters module aft and an open work deck forward. The flotel can accommodate 440 people in single cabins when operating on the Norwegian shelf.
The PSA Norway in July 2012 granted consent to Statoil to use the flotel at Njord Field in the Norwegian Sea.
Update: Floatel Superior Stable Again. Will be Towed to Land, Statoil Says| Offshore Energy Today.
Related articles
- Breaking News: Floatel Superior Tilts. Statoil Evacuates Workers (Norway) (mb50.wordpress.com)
Breaking News: Floatel Superior Tilts. Statoil Evacuates Workers (Norway)
Norwegian energy giant Statoil has evacuated workers from Floatel Superior accommodation rig due to a serious stability incident, the PSA Norway informs.
The operator informed the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway of the incident this morning explaining that an anchor had punctured one of the ballast tanks causing the flotel to tilt approximately 4 degrees.
There were 374 people on board when the incident occurred. The watchdog has set up an emergency response center in order to overview Statoil’s management of the situation.
Floatel Superior is located in the Njord A installation on the Njord field in the Norwegian Sea. It is a dynamically-positioned (DP-3) semi-submersible facility with a living quarters module aft and an open work deck forward. The flotel can accommodate 440 people in single cabins when operating on the Norwegian shelf.
Breaking News: Floatel Superior Tilts. Statoil Evacuates Workers (Norway)| Offshore Energy Today.
Norway: Ulstein Verft Launches IMR Vessel ‘Seven Viking’
The IMR vessel ‘Seven Viking’, that will be co-owned by Eidesvik Offshore and Subsea 7, was launched from the dock hall at Ulstein Verft on Wednesday 17 October.
In her right element, the compact 106.5 m long and 24.5 m wide vessel looks very impressive.
The SX148 design will carry out a multitude of diverse tasks for Statoil, including inspection, maintenance and repair of subsea oil installations, alongside scale treatment and RFO operations. The top speed is 16 knots. The ship has a crew capacity of 90, and capacity to carry a litany of essential subsea tools, thanks to a clever configuration whereby hull space is maximised and equipment is integrated within the large hangar area.
HSE has been a major focus for the project partners, this includes a customized module handling system (MHS) integrated in the ship’s hangar for the safe launch and retrieval of subsea modules weighing up to 70 tons.
All operational personnel are gathered in one area directly above the hangar, with panoramic windows in the control room giving a full overview of this key activity area. Also, the ship has been developed to meet the highest working environment standards. She is a comfort class COMF-V (3) vessel, with low noise and vibration levels. The ship also carries the Clean Design notation.
Environmental initiatives have been taken, including the diesel electric propulsion, which reduces atmospheric emissions, while the ship’s electrical winches mean there will be absolutely zero emissions of hydraulic oil.
World Maritime News – Norway: Ulstein Verft Launches IMR Vessel ‘Seven Viking’.
Norway: Vestnes FMT Secures Another Contract from Ulstein
Vestnes FMT has received a contract for 4 newbuildings from Ulstein Verft in Ulsteinvik. Newbuildings 296, 297, 298 and 299, being built for Blue Ship Invest, will be equipped with state-of-the-art “Willy” furniture packages.
These four newbuildings are medium-sized platform supply vessels (PSV) of PX121 design and are scheduled for delivery from Ulstein Verft in 2013.
Vestnes Ocean is a turn key supplier of accommodation solutions for the maritime industry. The company has developed its own concept of ship furniture named “Willy”, especially made for the life onboard, together with the designers Ralston & Bau.
Shipbuilding Tribune – Norway: Vestnes FMT Secures Another Contract from Ulstein.
- ULSTEIN delivers second PX121 to Blue Ship Invest (maritime-executive.com)
- Norway: Ulstein Delivers PSV ‘Blue Prosper’ (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Norway: Ulstein Verft Conducts Maintenance Work on ‘Island Vanguard’ (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Norway: Ulstein Secures 12 PSV Designs Order (worldmaritimenews.com)
Norway: Expro’s AX-S System Installed on Havyard’s Havila Phoenix Vessel
There are great things happening aboard the vessel “Havila Phoenix” nowadays. During the last two years there have been installations and tests of a whole new system likely to revolutionise the offshore light well intervention market.
The vessel, a Havyard 858 design, is designed and constructed by the ship technology group, Havyard Group AS, and owned by Havila Shipping, both located in Fosnavåg at the west coast of Norway. The offshore construction vessel was delivered from Havyard Ship Technology in Leirvik, Norway in 2009.
The vessel has over the last year-and-a-half been working on a contract for Fugro-Salt Subsea, part of the massive Fugro group, which is a Dutch-based corporation with more than 14.000 employees spread across 60 countries. Fugro-Salt Subsea cooperates with Expro in terms of developing the new “AX-S”-system aboard Havila`s advanced construction vessel.
So far the development of this new system has been running for seven years and cost NOK 1.2 billion in research and investments in ground-breaking new technology. The breakthrough appeared around a month ago when tests in the Norwegian Onarheim fjord proved very successful.
“AX-S” is a brand new system for well intervention involving remote-controlled subsea tools. The new system is, according to both the Havila management and the management of Fugro-Salt Subsea, a revolutionary system using solutions so far never utilised in subsea operations from a construction vessel. This involves employing extremely advanced remote-controlled subsea tools during well intervention that can handle up to eight different tools within the same operation, as well as using a light fibre rope instead of heavy steel wires. These are the main elements of the recent innovation. Should the system also win approval in a business sense, it could have a major impact on the offshore light well intervention market.
STABLE HAVYARD VESSEL
In the last year-and-a-half the 110 metre long vessel, a ship now docked in the port of Montrose between Dundee and Aberdeen, Scotland, has looked more like a research station than an offshore vessel. Havila Phoenix has been outfitted with a 35 metre tall tower and several modules on deck with a combined weight of over 500 tonnes. And there is no coincidence that the Scottish group has chosen a Havyard 858 design for this unique project.
– We needed a big, solid and modern vessel, and Havila Phoenix has lived up to all our expectations. If we fully succeed with this project we will likely be looking to acquire vessels of a similar design, but we will then need to be part of the planning straight from the start and get more of the system directly integrated below deck, says Operation Manager Darren Bown of AX-S.
The captain of Havila Phoenix, Leif Magne Lynge from Gursken, Norway, confirms that the vessel still remains impressively stable despite the enormous added weight.
– Yes, things have been working really well and the vessel also performs really well for its purpose. Facilities are also excellent, says Lynge who`s been captain aboard the vessel since the initial delivery. Captain and crew are definitely looking forward to heading out to the North Sea in order to start using this exciting new system.
UNIQUE REMOTE-CONTROLLED TOOLS
Michael Earlam of Fugro-Salt Subsea informs that there are several factors making the AX-S system a world sensation. In addition to the utilization of fibre ropes instead of wires for AX-S deployment, Earlam emphasizes the remote-controlled handling and deployment of the subsea packages with the ability to deploy 8 subsea tools is each time is unique.
– By using traditional well intervention equipment you can only perform one task at a time before the equipment needs to be raised to the surface in order to swap tools and then perform a subsequent operation. The equipment used in the AX-S system manages to handle eight various tools while on the seabed, without having to be raised to the surface to swap over any tools. This makes the operation much more effective and cost-efficient, Michael Earlam informs.
And after seven years of preparation the system is nearing its baptism of fire. In September, Havila Phoenix with 500 tonnes of “subsea factory” on deck will be heading out to work in the British sector of the North Sea.
– Yes, following the successful commissioning of the AX-S system on NUTEC’s “cold well” in Onharheimsfjord, south of Bergen, during April and May be performing operations in the North Sea, the Operations Manager for AX-S, Darren Bown of Expro, confirms.
Related articles
- Successful final commissioning of Expro’s AX-S subsea well intervention innovation (mb50.wordpress.com)
Blue Ship Orders Four Platform Supply Vessels from Ulstein (Norway)
Market trends and very good feedback from the first ship in operation triggers Blue Ship Invest to contract another four platform supply vessels (PSVs) of the PX121 design from ULSTEIN. All four are scheduled for delivery in 2013.
“The investment company Blue Ship Invest received its first vessel, ‘Blue Fighter’, from Ulstein Verft in January this year, and will receive the second vessel in Q3. “’Blue Fighter’ has been working for the oil company Apache for several months, and we have received very good feedback from Remøy Shipping, who manages the vessel on our behalf. The feedback, combined with developments in the PSV market, leads us to contract a series of another four PSVs of the same design,” says CEO Gunvor Ulstein in Ulstein Group.
Gunvor Ulstein adds that while ULSTEIN’s expertise is in design, system solutions and ship construction, ship management is not a part of the company’s business scope. “We will make arrangements for the management of the vessels, but I emphasize that all six vessels are for sale,” she says.
Captain Inge Gjelsten gives ‘Blue Fighter’ the following assessment: “I have worked on board several newbuilds, but ’Blue Fighter’ is the best of them by far. A vessel of this type is my preferred choice for the North Sea. ‘Blue Fighter’ is remarkably efficient and comfortable in all weather conditions. Wind and seas have little impact on the vessel’s performance compared to conventional PSVs. We can compare performance directly when steaming on the same tracks to the oil fields: With the same weather conditions and 3-5 metres head sea within 30 degrees of the bow, our ship can easily and comfortably maintain a speed of 12-13 knots, while the other vessels have to reduce their speed to 7-8 knots. The higher speed is a result of the ‘X-BOW® effect’. Also, due to the position of the stabilisation tanks on board, ‘Blue Fighter’ operates extremely well when wind and seas approach from the side.”
PX121 is a medium-sized platform supply vessel, with a length of 83.4 metres and a beam of 18 metres. It has a cargo deck of 875 square metres and a load capacity of 4200 tonnes (dwt). It has a maximum speed of approximately 15 knots and modern accommodation for 24 persons.
Efficiency and flexibility has been the focus in the development of this design. The ship is adapted to the requirements for longer and deeper boreholes and activities further from shore. In addition to tanks for oil, water and drilling fluids, the vessel has four stainless steel tanks for flammable liquids. The vessel is equipped with a dynamic positioning system Class II and meets the requirements of DNV’s Clean Design and ICE-C notations. The ship is also equipped with catalysts for all four main engines.
The X-BOW® hull line design offers efficiency over a wide draught range, which is important for PSVs as they frequently operate with varying loads. Moreover, the X-BOW has unique, advantageous qualities in terms of motion and propulsion efficiency in moderate and heavy seas. Both the hull and choice of propulsion system make the vessel particularly suited for North Sea and North Atlantic conditions.
Related articles
- Norway: Ulstein Gets Order for Four PSVs from Blue Ship Invest (worldmaritimenews.com)
- Norway: Captain Praises Ulstein-built ‘Blue Fighter’ Supply Vessel (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Norway: Ulstein Launches Blue Prosper PSV (mb50.wordpress.com)
- GC Rieber Shipping Orders Subsea Vessel from Ulstein (Norway) (mb50.wordpress.com)
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