Dutch Offshore Suppot Vessel Operators continue to Upgrade their Fleet

Headed by Vroon Offshore Services, a whole series of new offshore support vessels were commissioned in 2016, a programme that is set to continue into 2017. Dutch offshore support vessel operators are keen to take every opportunity to operate worldwide in the oil and gas industry, and in the rapidly emerging offshore wind energy sector, cost effectively, with a fleet of modern ships. Dutch engineering firms have repeatedly succeeded in designing and marketing new ship types for both sectors.

Just as in previous years, Vroon Offshore Services, operator of more than 100 offshore support vessels, once again launched more new ships than anyone else, in 2016, as part of a programme of fleet expansion and fleet renewal. From bases in Den Helder in the Netherlands, Aberdeen in Scotland, Genoa in Italy and Singapore in the Far East, the company provides services for businesses operating in the offshore oil and gas industry and wind energy sector. Offices were recently also opened in Mozambique. In 2016,

the Fujian yard in China handed over two state-of-the-art subsea support vessels, christened the VOS Sugar and VOS Star. Remarkably enough, at one point, all of the operator’s subsea support vessels were simultaneously deployed serving the offshore wind energy sector. Following her arrival in the Netherlands, the VOS Sugar also immediately set to work in this sector, in the North Sea, at the Bard Offshore 1 Wind Farm. To help carry out this work, the ship’s equipment included an Ampelmann W2W system. Also in 2016,

the Fujian yard completed four platform supply vessels, the VOS Primrose, VOS Prince, VOS Princess and VOS Principle, all 80 metres in length, and built according to a design from KCM. Two other vessels, the VOS Partner and VOS Passion, were handed over by the Cosco Guangdong Shipyard in China. These ships, of the type Ulstein PX 121 with a special X-bow structure, measure a full 83 metres in length. Finally, Vroon Offshore Services took delivery of four anchor-handling supply vessels, that were christened VOS Challenge, VOS Champion, VOS Chance and VOS Character. All four were also built at the Chinese Fujian yard according to a design from KCM. The schedule for 2017 includes the handover of two further subsea support vessels, four platform supply vessels and two anchor-handling tug supply vessels. One of the two subsea support vessel still to be completed, the VOS Start, will be equipped with a brand-new Barge Master gangway. This vessel will be deployed immediately following completion, for the construction of the Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm operated by DONG Energy, in the Irish Sea. Another order awarded in July 2016 involves the deployment of the platform supply vessel VOS Prime, that has been chartered by Ztechnologies based in IJmuiden to test a new offshore access system in the Dutch sector of the North Sea. Vroon Offshore Services, with its subsidiary MPI Offshore with its own fleet of four wind turbine installation vessels and fourteen fast crew suppliers, also operates in the offshore wind energy sector. On 8 February 2017, Vroon Offshore Services was presented with the Offshore Support Journal Award for Shipowner of the Year 2017.

Other operators For the third time in succession, two so-called Damen Fast Crew Suppliers 2610 were added to the fleet owned by SeaZip Offshore Service, based in Harlingen. This brings the total of these fast vessels in the fleet to six, and the two latest additions were christened SeaZip 5 and SeaZip 6. All six are deployed offshore, both in the oil and gas industry and the wind energy sector. The SeaZip 4 has already completed two summers of service providing logistic support for semi-submersible crane vessels operated by Heerema Marine Contractors. Den Helderbased Acta Marine, currently with a fleet of 45 workboats, awarded a contract to the Norwegian Ulstein yard to build a dp2 construction support vessel based on the SX 195 design from Ulstein Design & Solutions. This vessel is also destined for deployment in the offshore wind energy sector. At the start of 2017, Fugro took over the construction support vessel REM Etive, from Solstad Offshore. The 93

metre-long ship was already working on behalf of Fugro in Southeast China, on a long-term charter. The oil company NAM was highly successful in deploying the state-of-the-art inspection, repair and maintenance vessel Kroonborg, owned by Wagenborg Offshore based in Delfzijl. This 79 metre-long ship is equipped with an Ampelmann W2W system and a heave compensated crane supplied by Barge Master. A Roborg was also recently added to the on-board equipment of the Kroonborg. This small mobile crane can be deployed for well maintenance and inspection work.

New designs The renowned engineering firm GustoMSC from Schiedam, responsible among others for the design of the Seajacks Scylla, the world’s largest windfarm installation vessel, reported that Penta-Ocean Construction had placed an order with Japan Marine United Yard for Japan’s first windfarm installation vessel that is to be built according to a GustoMSC design. In March 2016, the engineering firm presented the new jack-up rig design NG-3500X, based on the successful designs for the NG-2500X and NG-1800X, that are mainly deployed in the offshore wind energy sector. The new design comes in two versions, as an accommodation and service vessel and as a well intervention vessel, both available for deployment in water depths of up to 80 metres. At the OTC trade fair in Houston, GustoMSC and Damen Shipyards Group announced the forming of a collaborative venture in order to produce a range of (non)self-propelled jack-up platforms for the offshore industry. The new range is known as the DG JACK. GustoMSC also presented its SmartCrane, at the same trade fair. This crane can be retrofitted to existing cantilever

jack-up rigs. The lifting capacity is 20 tonnes. In the second half of 2016, the same engineering firm from Schiedam presented other new designs for a harsh environment drilling semi-submersible series, based on the existing OCEAN design, and for the new drillship design Scylax, a drillship for the mid to deepwater market.

Ulstein Design & Solutions, together with SeaOwls, launched a pioneering heavy-lift jack-up design, the SOUL, at the Offshore Wind Journal Conference at the start of 2017. This concept aims to install the next generation of wind turbines, in the same timeframe as currently required for installing 6-8 MW units. Offshore Ship Designers from IJmuiden then took centre stage with the design of two Azistern 2460 tugs, that were subsequently fabricated for Mextug. These small but very powerful harbour tugs with a bollard pull of 56 tonnes were christened the Mextug Lerma and Mextug Balsas. PACC Offshore Services Holdings Limited of Singapore also took delivery of two Azistern 3270 tugs, to boost its fleet. These vessels, also built according to a design from Offshore Ship Designers, were christened the POSH Husky and POSH Hardy, and each have a bollard pull of 72 tonnes.

Towage work The previously announced 50/50 towage joint venture between Royal Boskalis Westminster, subsidiary Smit Harbour Towage and KOTUG International was officially launched in 2016. Under the KOTUG SMIT Towage flag, port tug services are provided in eleven sea ports, in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and England. The tug fleet comprises a total of 65 vessels. Another Boskalis subsidiary, Fairmount Marine, attracted much attention in towing large

offshore support vessels. In June, two seagoing tugs from the operator were deployed to tow the 255 metre-long Mariner B FSU (Floating Storage Unit) from South Korea to Scotland. In January 2017, the Fairmount Alpine and Fairmount Sherpa went into action to tow the FPSO Cidade de Campos dos Goytacazes from China to Brazil. In mid-2017, Rotterdam-based ALP Maritime Services took delivery of the first of four seagoing tugs of the ALP Future Class, based on a design from Ulstein Design & Solutions. This 89 metre-long seagoing tug was christened the ALP Striker, and delivers a bollard pull in excess of 300 tonnes.

FPSOs At the start of 2016, Petrobras commissioned the FPSO Cidade de Marica in the Lula field, in the Santos Basin off the coast of Brazil. This performance was repeated in July, with the FPSO Cidade de Saquarema. Both FPSOs were built according to a design from SBM Offshore based in Amsterdam, and both were leased by Petrobras, for a period of twenty years. The two are sister ships to the FPSO Cidade de Ilhabela, the first FPSO based on the G3 design developed by SBM Offshore. This FPSO had been commissioned off the coast of Brazil, in 2014. With the arrival of the two new FPSOs, SBM Offshore’s Brazilian fleet operation now totals seven FPSOs, with a total production capacity of 870,000 barrels a day.

Other news announced that Shell has commissioned the brand-new FPSO Turritella in the Stones field in the Gulf of Mexico. At this location, the water depth is 2,896 metres. Shell signed a lease contract with a term of ten years, with further options for extension, with SBM Offshore. ExxonMobil subsequently awarded a contract to SBM Offshore to supply an FPSO unit for its giant Liza discovery, off the coast of Guyana. Another eye-catching order was awarded by the French EDF Energies Nouvelles for the supply of floating wind systems for a pilot project off the coast of France. The project in question is an experimental floating windfarm, off the coast near Marseille. In October 2016, Bluewater Energy Services from Hoofddorp announced that it had been awarded a one-year extension contract for the FPSO Bleo Holm. The firm contract period was thus extended through to 30 June 2018. Bluewater was subsequently awarded a new contract to deploy the FPSO Aoka Mizu. From 2019 onwards, Hurricane Energy plans to produce oil with this FPSO, from the Lancaster field to the west of the Shetland Islands. The Aoka Mizu has been deployed since 2009 for Nexen Petroleum, in the Ettrick field in the British sector of the North Sea n

The brand-new subsea support vessel VOS Sugar operated by Vroon Offshore Services. (Photograph: PAS Publicaties)

NAM reported the very successful deployment of the inspection, repairand maintenance vessel Kroonborg. (Photograph: PAS Publicaties)

The harbour tug Smit Hudson in the company colours of KOTUG SMITTowage. (Photograph: PAS Publicaties)