ACO Marine has signed a contract to supply a bespoke version of its new Clarimar MF wastewater treatment plant to the CFT 623 wellhead platform under construction for Dubai’s Dragon Oil.

The specially adapted Clarimar MF-2 has capacity to treat 3.5m3 of black and grey wastewater a day and features a sludge tank for liquid discharges from drilling operations.

“The offshore oil and gas sector is an important market for ACO Marine,” said Managing Director Mark Beavis. “We have delivered a number of systems for installation to offshore rigs in the past, but this is the first offshore contract we have received for the new Clarimar MF. This prestigious contract will open the door of opportunity to supply equipment to other offshore projects.”

ACO Marine has been awarded a contract to supply its new Clarimar MF to the CFT 623 wellhead platform

Due to the platform’s location, the end-user required a system proven to meet the stringent environmental regulations governing oil and gas production in the ecologically sensitive Caspian Sea.

ACO Marine’s system, type-approved by Bureau Veritas according to new IMO MEPC 227 (64) requirements, incorporates a unique “Bio-Sword” filtration technology capable of replacing the settling and chlorination stages found in more traditional biological wastewater treatment systems.

“The Bio-Sword allows the system to operate in environments with bio-mass concentrations up top four times greater than conventional plants, greatly reducing activation tank volume, system footprint and maintenance requirements,” said Beavis.

The system ACO Marine will supply in September has double piping and system componentry, and is manufactured from durable PPFR composite which, unlike coated black steel, is light weight and completely resistant to corrosion.

In February 2014, Dragon Oil awarded a contract for the engineering, construction, and installation of the Dzheitune (Lam) E wellhead and production platform and associated pipelines. Detailed engineering and fabrication is underway with the platform due for completion in 2016.

Gibdock, the Gibraltar ship repair yard, is strengthening its impact within the German ship owning market. Working in partnership with its local agent, Hamburg-based Combitrade, the yard has managed to win a significant amount of business from some of the country’s leading shipowners and managers in recent years.

Further proof of the rising reputation of the yard in this important sector of the market was provided recently when Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG chose Gibdock to work on one of its 1730 teu capacity geared containerships.

John Taylor, Gibdock operations director, says “In many respects this was a routine drydocking, but the hatch cover work in particular was quite time consuming and there was only a tight time window for us to complete all the various tasks required by Peter Döhle. Our team rose to the challenge and redelivered the vessel back to service on schedule.”

Peter Döhle selected Gibdock for this work partly because of its strategic location, which meant the ship could be docked at the yard without deviation before returning to its trade rotation. Other factors included Gibdock’s reputation for good quality and for delivering projects on time.

Timo Schultze, Combitrade manager, says: “The most important issue for the owner was that the repairs to the ship should not be delayed, as the vessel had to catch the next charter. This meant that the whole project was very time critical, especially because of the extensive works to the hatch covers.”

Largely due to Gibdock’s reputation within the market for delivering on time, Combitrade was able to persuade Peter Döhle to rely on the yard. Mr. Schultze says, “When Gibdock quotes the redelivery of a vessel for a specific date and time, assuming no unforeseen works occur, you can rest assured that you will get your vessel back as scheduled.”

Budgetary factors were also an influential consideration. As Mr. Schultze explains, “This is another of Gibdock’s strong points - keeping to the budget without hidden costs in the quotation. This is particularly important at a time when charter rates are still low, and unforeseen expenses are difficult to accommodate.”

Combitrade is confident that Peter Döhle will return again, based on its positive experience with this latest project, as will other German shipping companies. Mr. Schultze concludes, “The best proof of the quality and the reliability of a yard are its repeat clients and Gibdock has a number in Germany. Hopefully Peter Döhle will be one of them in the future.”

The renowned French research vessel, Marion Dufresne II left Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque (part of Damen Shiprepair & Conversion) in northern France on 28 July having recently undergone sea trials and a complete renovation. Delivered on time, the oceanographic research vessel set sail for the Port of La Réunion where she will resume her logistic and scientific journey to the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

“The excellent cooperation between the yard and the vessel’s crew was important in this project’s successful planning, coordination and execution. We rebuilt a large part of the vessel within 4 months to extend her life by 20 years. The client was satisfied with our performance, cooperation and the end result,” explains Head of Marketing & Sales at Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque, Khalil Benjelloul.

Mr. Benjelloul sums up the work carried out by the yard. “We replaced the vessel’s most important scientific apparatus, the multi-beam sonar. We scrapped the existing equipment, rebuilt the hull and installed a new gondola and control room. Furthermore we completely renewed the ILOT capstan, a system used to take sea water samples, and installed new equipment. The hull has been blasted and repainted as well as some of the ballast tanks. The vessel’s accommodation areas have been redone in cooperation with the client’s subcontractor, this included laboratory facilities used by IPEV scientists. Marion Dufresne II can accommodate 114 passengers or scientific researchers and 46 crew.”

The multi-purpose vessel owned by French administration “Les Terres australes et antarctiques françaises” (TAAF) and managed by CMA CGM, supplies French southern islands 4 months a year, and carries out oceanographic research 217 days per year under the responsibility of the Institut Polaire Paul-Emile Victor (IPEV). Operating out of the Port of La Réunion, the vessel transports passengers and supplies to the French islands of the Indian Ocean and performs scientific works in all ocean conditions, but for iced covered. Marion Dufresne II is now returning to the French Southern and Antarctic Lands to continue her logistic work and scientific research.

Besides her research and scientific capabilities, this multi-purpose vessel has a heli-deck and can be used as a supply vessel to transport containers and fuel to remote areas.

The client selected Damen Shiprepair & Conversion following a competitive tendering process. After careful consideration of the vessel’s requirements, Damen decided to have the Dunkirk yard in northern France undertake the project.

Horizon Geosciences has announced the addition of a new vessel to its fleet, primed for work in the North Sea and West Africa.

Horizon Geosciences Business Development Manager Matthew Suchley commented:

“Demand for Horizon Geosciences’ geophysical survey services has been such that we sought an additional specialist vessel to complement the Horizon Geobay.

We are delighted to announce the introduction of the Kommandor Stuart, a multi-disciplinary, geophysical survey vessel with a proven track record in the North Sea and Arctic.”

A multi-disciplinary IMCA and OVID approved DP1 survey vessel with a proven track record in the North Sea and Arctic, Kommandor Stuart was added to Horizon’s fleet to meet growing demand for Geophysical Survey services.

Rebuilt in 2006, the vessel has a large working deck and excellent features including a comprehensive survey laboratory with offshore data processing facilities.

Permanently fitted with a high resolution 500m range Multibeam Echosounder, a low frequency 3000m range Multibeam Echosounder, a hull mounted sub-bottom profiler as well as side scan sonars and magnetometers, this vessel is ideally suited for site surveys and cable or pipeline route surveys.

In addition to these bathymetric and geophysical survey spreads, this vessel can also be mobilized with shallow sampling geotechnical equipment including vibrocorer, dropcorer or seabed CPT.

The vessel also benefits from having in built compressors for digital 2D high resolution geophysical surveys and an ROV can be quickly mobilized as required.

The Kommandor Stuart is primarily dedicated to the North Sea and West Africa region.

Making her debut at the Martin Midstream Dock in Galveston, Texas, Fugro’s premier geophysical survey vessel, the Fugro Americas, was showcased to top clients, with over 100 in attendance.

Fugro gave guided tours of the new-build vessel, with geophysical, geoscience, survey and HSE professionals on hand to demonstrate its state-of-the-art equipment and features along with the working parts of a geophysical survey. Clients were able to view the advanced survey instrumentation, including Fugro’s 3,000-metre-rated AUV, from a first-hand perspective, which prompted positive comments on the vessel’s impressive equipment and exceptional design. The two-day event provided an important opportunity for clients to not only view the Fugro Americas and its equipment, but also to understand how Fugro’s capabilities consistently meet their survey needs.

The Fugro Americas departed the construction shipyard in Louisiana on April 13th and was immediately mobilized to the Caribbean for a highly successful geochemical coring campaign. Measuring 193 feet in length, the multi-purpose vessel is well suited for high resolution geophysical surveys and seafloor mapping and is permanently mobilised for rapid deployment to locations throughout North and South America.

Fugro also owns and operates three Hugin AUV systems, two depth rated to 3,000 meters and one to 4,500 meters, all of which are portable and able to be mobilised onto the Fugro Americas or other vessels of opportunity.

A surge in crude tanker vessel capacity over the next two years will lead to a fall in ship-owner earnings from current highs, according to the latest edition of the Tanker Forecaster, published by global shipping consultancy Drewry.

Rising capacity is being driven by anticipated tonnage demand growth in the dirty tanker market, which is expected to gather momentum once US shale oil production starts shrinking. Similarly, tonnage demand in the product tanker market has been increasing with the expansion of refinery capacity in Asia and the Middle East.

One of the primary reasons behind the recent surge in tanker freight rates, particularly in the dirty tanker market, has been sluggish fleet growth over the last two years. However, as the fleet is likely to expand rapidly in the next two years, the ongoing firmness in rates may prove short-lived.

“Drewry expects annual growth in the crude tanker fleet to accelerate from 0.7% in 2014 to around 5% over the next two years, to reach 377 million dwt by the end of 2017,” said Rajesh Verma, Drewry’s lead analyst for tanker shipping. “However, this growth is expected to recede thereafter, assuming vessel ordering remains controlled.”

Attractive freight rates and a growing trade on long haul routes resulted in hefty ordering in the large vessel segments, especially since the second half of 2014. “A total of 42 million dwt of capacity has been ordered since 2014, which compares with just 25 million dwt in 2012-13, when a bearish freight market and tight credit availability checked ordering,” added Verma.

A surge in US shale oil production had held back growth in the global seaborne crude trade. But the recent collapse in oil prices has checked domestic shale output and increased worldwide stocking activity, so boosting demand for crude tanker tonnage. Drewry expects the global oil trade to strengthen further, fuelled by rising US crude imports and an increase in Asian refining capacity.

“Lower bunker prices continue to support vessel earnings and increased ordering of large vessels reflect optimism in the market,” added Verma. “So long as ship-owners abstain from excessive ordering in the coming years, we can expect fleet growth to slow after 2017, which in combination with the prospective increase in global oil trade will lead to some longer term recovery in crude tanker earnings.”

“Tanker Forecaster” is a quarterly report published by Drewry Maritime Research and is priced at £2,115 for an annual subscription. The report is available from the Drewry website www.drewry.co.uk.

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s global ship management group continues the support work it is providing the U.S. Government with the announcement today of a new technical management contract for six Military Sealift Command (MSC) Maritime Prepositioning Ships (MPS). Services provided by Crowley will be full turnkey operation and management of the fleet, including crewing, and scheduled and unscheduled repair and dry-docking. The turnover phase will begin in late September.

“Crowley is honored to have been selected to provide technical management for such an elite government fleet,” said Crowley’s Mike Golonka, vice president, government services. “This contract is a perfect fit for Crowley, and would not be possible without the hard work and determination of our remarkable government team and the tremendous support we received from MSC.”

These ships are used to preposition U.S. Marine Corps vehicles, equipment and ammunition throughout the world. Prepositioned ships in each squadron have sufficient equipment, supplies and ammunition to support about 17,000 personnel for 30 days, and are self-sustaining with cranes that enable them to unload their own cargo.

The Crowley contract covers five of MSC’s 14 Bobo Class ships – including the MV 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo, MV Pfc. Dewayne T. Williams, MV 1st Lt. Jack Lummus, MC Sgt. William R. Button and MV 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez – and the USNS Gunnery Sgt. Fred W. Stockham.

“Vessels in the Bobo Class are named after recipients of America’s highest military recognition, the Medal of Honor,” said Crowley’s Sam Ailes, program manager. “It’s humbling and rewarding to provide service to this distinguished fleet as it fulfills its military duties. This is yet another critical government program and we realize what a privilege it is to serve it.”

The Bobo Class is named in recognition of USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo, a Vietnam War hero who was killed while saving the lives of his fellow marines during an ambush in 1966. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Crowley’s ship management group provides all phases of commercial ship management, along with full technical management and government contracting.

On Thursday July 23rd, senior representatives of Maersk Supply Service, DeepOcean UK and the Damen Shipyards Group gathered at Damen Shipyards Galati, Romania to witness the launching of subsea support vessel Maersk Connector. The vessel is owned and operated by Maersk Supply Service and is built to contract for a seven year charter agreement with DeepOcean.

Maersk Connector is the second of a new generation of cable-laying vessels developed by the Damen Shipyards Group. Equipped with survey and trenching capabilities, she will extend DeepOcean’s capabilities in the larger cable-laying end of the market, representing a new focus on interconnector projects in addition to oil and gas sector and renewables work. Her 7,000 tonne carousel will make her well suited for installation and burial projects from land-fall to deep water and also for operations in remote geographical locations. The vessel is designed to meet the high standards demanded by North Sea oil and gas customers.

Launch-of-Maersk-Connector

Pierre Boyde, Commercial Director at DeepOcean, said; “We are delighted to see the positive progress being made on this high quality Damen vessel and are very pleased with the working relationships with our partners. Last week we signed our first project for the Maersk Connector - on the Bligh Bank Wind Farm - and look forward to finalising further contracts elsewhere in the near future.

“This new vessel will be a critical part of our growth strategy, delivering production efficiencies that will contribute to the lowering of costs in the offshore wind sector. In particular it will play an important part in the roll-out of the next generation of interconnectors that will contribute so much towards maintaining the UK’s energy security and lowering the wholesale cost of electricity.”

Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer at Maersk Supply Service, Søren Karas, stated, “We are naturally very pleased to see that our long-term customer DeepOcean has already assigned the vessel to its first project, and we look forward to providing superior marine operations to enable DeepOcean’s continued success.”

Developed as a flexible platform for both transport and installation work offshore, the DOC 8500 is 138 metres in length and has a beam of 27.5 metres. The 9,300 dwt vessel features 2,200 square metres of unobstructed deck with a loading capacity of 20t/m2 and ro-ro capability. Top speed will be 12 knots.

Speaking at the launch, Remko Bouma, Sales Manager at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, commented, “We are very pleased that the project is meeting all its milestones precisely on time, and the co-operation with the clients has been excellent. We are confident that the rate of progress will continue up to delivery in February 2016.”

Following the launch, the Maersk Connector is now berthed at Damen Shipyards Galati and installation is getting underway on the helideck, cranes and bridge, as well as the fitting-out of the interior. Sea trials are expected to commence by the end of this year.

Matson, Inc. (NYSE: MATX), a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific, has taken delivery of a new 65-ton gantry crane to replace one half its size at the company's Kodiak Terminal.

Standing more than 340 feet tall at its peak with a boom spanning 164 feet, Matson's new crane is the largest in Alaska, capable of lifting loads up to 60 feet long and weighing up to 145,000 pounds.

Its state-of-the-art industrial equipment will be powered entirely by renewable energy. An electrically powered crane that uses fly wheel technology to capture, store and then return power as needed, the crane will run on electricity provided by the Kodiak Electric Association, which uses wind and water turbines to generate 99.9 percent of its power. (See the technology in action here: ABB to enable integration of renewables in Alaskan island microgrid ; Alaskan island goes green with ABB technology - YouTube.)

With a price tag of more than $10 million, the new crane is one of a number of investments Matson is making to improve the services and capabilities of its Alaska operations. It has also purchased new ground equipment and ordered a fleet of new dry and insulated containers for use in Alaska.

Matson has also scheduled work to install new exhaust scrubber systems on the three former Horizon D7 Class vessels it now operates in Alaska, with each vessel going into dry dock for three months, one after another, starting in September.

Matson, Inc. closed its acquisition of Horizon Lines, Inc., which included Horizon's Alaska operations and the assumption of all non-Hawaii business, for $469 million (before transaction costs) on May 29, 2015.

Matson is committed to continuing Horizon's long operating history in Alaska with a three vessel deployment of diesel powered Jones Act qualified containerships that provide two weekly sailings from Tacoma to Anchorage and Kodiak, and a weekly sailing to Dutch Harbor. In addition, Matson has retained Horizon personnel and maintained operations port terminals in Anchorage, Kodiak and Dutch Harbor and acquired several reserve steam powered Jones Act containerships that may be used for dry-dock relief.

In 2014, Matson was rated the #1 ocean carrier in the world in Logistics Management's annual Quest for Quality Awards, considered by many the most prestigious industry award recognizing performance excellence and customer satisfaction.

SpeedCast International Limited (SpeedCast), a leading global satellite telecommunications service provider, today announced that it has been awarded a multi-year communications contract from Gulf Marine Services (GMS). The new dual-beam Ku-band satellite service will provide high-performance broadband connectivity for client office applications and voice services across nine GMS barges.

GMS is one of the largest providers of self-propelled, self-elevating accommodation jack-up barges in the world. The vessels work in offshore oilfields, often in harsh weather conditions, and therefore require a reliable and high-quality connection between the vessels and the land-based operations.

“We have a modern fleet that enables us to serve our clients’ needs, which require sophisticated communications systems,” said Simon Cook, COO of Gulf Marine Services. “Not only does SpeedCast achieve this, but they are also able to deliver an advanced, globally accessible communications solution that is reliable and has a proven operational deployment record.”

SpeedCast’s solution will initially deliver MBR 2048/512 CIR 512/256 links for each vessel, with scope to upgrade as necessary depending on client requirements. With SpeedCast’s strong global network and support capabilities the vessels will benefit from enhanced communications and VoIP services for operations and crew welfare. SpeedCast will deliver principle support for GMS from its Dubai, U.A.E. sales and support center, backed by its global support network.

“We are delighted that we can support the modern, innovative and sustainable solutions that GMS provides its partners in the offshore oil sector,” said Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO of SpeedCast. “Our Ku-band service is unrivaled, providing seamless connectivity and a powerful business solution to enable GMS to maintain its focus on providing its clients with efficient and cost-effective solutions.”

“The Middle East is a critically important market for the offshore oil sector,” said Piers Cunningham, VP of Maritime Services, SpeedCast. “SpeedCast has continued to invest in its network and infrastructure to service the demanding requirements of its offshore customers. Likewise, SpeedCast has continued to invest in products and services, for both FSS and MSS, that allow us to serve as a one-stop-shop for our maritime and energy customers’ critical communications.”

This announcement follows SpeedCast’s successful acquisitions of Hermes Datacomms, Geolink Satellite Services, and most recently SAIT Communications, which have further enhanced SpeedCast’s products and services tailored for the energy and maritime sectors.

Ceona, SURF contractor with heavy subsea construction capabilities, has expanded its West African reach after entering into a strategic partnership with Interoil Angola Lda.

The partnership will see Interoil Angola, which is a key player in offshore support vessel management in West Africa, support Ceona’s plans to expand into Angola.

Ceona is already active in West Africa through its Ceona-Seaweld joint venture in Ghana as well as the company’s strategic partnership with Marine Platforms Limited in Nigeria.

Bill Hickie, Ceona’s VP Business Development, said: “Interoil Angola is a well-established company and an approved supplier by the major operators in the region. It is also one of the few Angolan organizations that has a license for vessel management. Partnering with them enables Ceona to officially enter the Angolan market, where our flagship Ceona Amazon vessel is highly suited for work offshore, and at the same time continue to grow our strong footprint across West Africa.”

Headquartered in Luanda and with a yard in Sonils, Interoil Angola’s core business is managing support vessels in-country. The company, which is registered with Sonangol, offers oil and gas services in strategic alliance with reliable and proven technical partners.

Ceona is a SURF and heavy subsea construction contractor in the deepwater market, specializing in full-service engineering, pipelay and construction project management and execution. The company has already established an impressive track record which has seen it expand into West Africa, the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil.

The ground-breaking Ceona Amazon is a powerful, purpose-built hybrid vessel that can execute complex logistical projects in remote, harsh and deepwater territories. Designed to deliver full flexible or full rigid pipelay, she can change easily and quickly between each mode and is extremely weather resilient. With a deck area of 4,600m2 and the ability to carry 9,500te of pipe on deck and in her two holds, the Amazon is custom designed for full deepwater field development needs.

Her two 400te cranes, which have been designed to operate in tandem to support work in water depths of up to 3,000m (10,000 ft), enable her to easily install large manifolds and heavy subsea structures. This combined with the vertical-lay pipelay system featuring a top tension of 600te, capable of laying rigid pipe to 3,000m (10,000 ft) water depth make her a vessel of choice for all deepwater field development needs.

Ceona, which is backed by majority shareholder Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, has offices in London, Aberdeen and Houston, with strategic partners in Brazil and West Africa.

Ceona is certified by DNV to ISO 9001, 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards. FPAL supplier number: 10053050 – Achilles ID: 29319

In 2005, Bourbon becomes the 1st offshore operator to adopt an inverted bow vessel, the Bourbon Orca. A look at this innovative design, dubbed the X-BOW®.

In 2006, the Bourbon Orca joined the BOURBON fleet, the very first inverted-bow AHTS designed by the Norwegian ship designer ULSTEIN. The main feature of this vessel: a slender hull water line and a smoother volume distribution in the foreship, particularly suited to the navigational conditions in the North Sea. The payoff: better handling and reduced pitching in rough seas. "While a traditional bow vessel rises on the waves and then drops violently onto the surface of the water, an X-BOW® vessel, less subject to the vertical motions induced by the waves, continues on course more smoothly, while maintaining its speed. And because it uses less fuel to get through the waves, it also helps to save energy," says Tore Ulstein, Deputy CEO and Chief Market & Innovation Officer in Ulstein Group.

The Bourbon Orca in operation

So we can understand why this type of vessel also offers more comfortable working conditions for the crew. "Less shaking, it also means less vibration, less noise and less splashing,"says Arnkjell Brandal, who was the first officer to command the vessel, until May, 2015. This seafarer, used to traditional bows tells us of his first impressions on board. "It was like a shock, paradoxically. This vessel was nothing like what I had experienced before! But I soon felt the difference, especially in traction situations: fluidity, strength and stability!"

Propelled By Bourbon

The Bourbon X-BOW® story starts in 2004, when ULSTEIN was working with BOURBON and several industry players on a project to improve the safety of anchor handling operations. "Trond Myklebust, who at the time was Marketing Director of Bourbon Offshore Norway, challenged us: to rethink the design of parts of the vessel, including the bow," explains Tore Ulstein. For the Norwegian designer and shipbuilder, all the ingredients required to design tomorrow's offshore vessel were assembled: the encouragement of a customer who is a leader in its market, a constant search for innovation, and a strong partnership with leading players. "BOURBON asked us to dare... and together we did it!" Ulstein Deputy CEO and Chief Market & Innovation Officer.

The advantages of the X-BOW® design were revealed late in 2004 and the start of 2005, when tested in a towing tank. As Tore Ulstein explains: "We conducted these tests with scale models, but in real situations, with waves from different directions to analyze the vessel's behavior. The very positive results encouraged us in this direction." In April 2005, BOURBON would go on to acquire its first X-BOW® vessel!

One Innovation Includes

Others If the X-BOW® design remains the flagship innovation of the Bourbon Orca, this vessel is also equipped with a new anchor-handling system and diesel-electric propulsion. "With very good energy efficiency, it is also equipped with azimuth thrusters which allow it to rotate 360° for quick direction changes," says Arnkjell Branda, former captain of the Bourbon Orca.

Kongsberg Maritime is working with Norwegian shipping company Østensjo and the Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute (Marintek) on a new R&D project for operations using motion compensated and telescopic gangways, typically found on accommodation vessels in the offshore sector. The project is part of the Norwegian Government’s innovation program MAROFF (Maritime Activities and Offshore Operations).

Accessing any fixed or floating offshore structure via a vessel can be challenging due to the movement against the structure, with weather conditions playing a critical role. Gangways eliminate the need to use dangerous ladders but it is important that the distance between vessel and structure is within the operational limit of the telescope on the gangway. Positioning equipment ensures the vessel and structure remain within operational limits, but with gangway connection and disconnection operations performed relatively rarely, crew training is essential to reduce risk to personnel and avoid structural damage.

Utilizing Kongsberg Maritime’s Dynamic Positioning (DP) controller for operation of Østensjo’s new generation accommodation vessel, Edda Fortis, the project will involve the collection and analysis of operational data together with simulation studies using the SIMO simulation tool package and Kongsberg Maritime’s DP algorithms. In addition, a tailor-made simulation software system for crew training on critical operations, incidents and planned operations preparation will be developed by Kongsberg Maritime.

Sensor data will be interfaced to Kongsberg’s DP system to simulate the compensation of the motion between the rig and the accommodation vessel. The data analysis will then be used to adjust the DP control strategy on board, with a key aim to extend the operational window defined for gangway operation.

“We are enthusiastic about taking part in this advanced R&D project,” explained Terje Heierstad, Global Product Manager, Kongsberg Maritime Simulation. “The accurate full scale data from the accommodation vessel will be used to improve, update and tune the simulator models to an extreme level of accuracy, which is important when training for operations with high safety requirements and small risk margins.”

HARKAND has successfully completed the $10.5million (USD) upgrade of its Gulf of Mexico based dive support vessel (DSV) Swordfish. Originally built in 2007, the Swordfish is the youngest DSV in this region and has been upgraded to the highest safety standards in the offshore industry.

The fully International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) compliant, ABS classed, 104 m long, DP2 DSV features a newly upgraded 15-man saturation diving system with a three-man bell along with a new 165’ surface diving system.

The vessel comes fitted with a new build 18-man self-propelled hyperbaric lifeboat (SPHL) for evacuation of the divers under saturation in case of an emergency. This SPHL can be coupled with a newly built and dedicated portable hyperbaric rescue facility (HRF) to ensure safe decompression of divers.

Following the upgrade work being carried out at the Port of Galveston, Mike Brown general manager of diving operations for North America and Africa, said: “Our commitment to establish industry standard in safety is exemplified by this recent investment to upgrade the Swordfish ensuring that the vessel not only meets but surpasses the required IMCA safety standards.

“The Swordfish with its new surface diving system, the upgraded saturation diving system, dual 70 and 150 Te active heave compensated (AHC) cranes, heavy duty work-class XLS ROV and its own dedicated SPHL and HRF will be the most advanced DSV in this region and enable us to tackle the most challenging IRM and light construction projects for any operator.“ Harkand provides offshore vessels, ROVs, diving, survey services, project management and engineering to the oil and gas and renewables industries. Headquartered in London with operations bases in Aberdeen, Houston, Mexico Nigeria and Ghana, Harkand aims to be the leading subsea IRM and light construction contractor globally.

Sea Trucks Group ("Sea Trucks") is pleased to announce the recent award of a charter for the Jascon 31 in the Gulf of Mexico. The state of the art DP3 Accommodation Construction vessel will start sailing soon from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico.

Sea Trucks will provide accommodation support services, lifting operations and installation work to Permaducto S.A. de C.V. for works on the KMZ68/69 project from Pemex for a period of 95 days plus options.

Jascon 31 is a DP3 accommodation construction vessel for both shallow and deep-water operations. The vessel is equipped with a 400 mT, heave compensated, main crane, enabling the vessel to provide extensive subsea support services. The multipurpose vessel also features accommodation facilities for 469 persons, a heave compensated gangway and 1300 m2 of unobstructed deck space.

The work will commence in September 2015.

Harlingen-based SeaZip Offshore Service has entered into a partnership agreement with Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC). HMC, the world’s market leader in transporting, installing and dismantling offshore oil and gas installations, has contracted service vessel SeaZip 4 for its annual project activities in the North Sea for the coming summer months. SeaZip Offshore Service is thus getting off to a successful start in the international oil and gas industry.

Delivered early this year, SeaZip 4 is the fourth Damen Fast Crew Supplier 2610 in the SeaZip Offshore Service fleet. She is one of the first ‘Twin Axe Bow’ service vessels to be deployed in the offshore oil and gas industry. All other vessels of this type provide services for the offshore wind industry.

Robust audits passed

HMC praise the performances of both the vessel and its well-trained crew. Mr Jan Reier Arends, Managing Director of SeaZip Offshore Service, said: ‘In the build-up to this project we passed all the audits that were required. I am proud to learn that a leading market participant such as HCM has indicated that we have also managed to perform the practical test in 24/7 services properly’.

Since late May, SeaZip 4, which was designed for the transport of passengers and small freight, has provided logistic services to support operations in the North Sea, which HMC carries out for various international clients. The leading part is played by SSCV Thialf, the largest crane vessel in the world, which is fitted with two 95-meter high cranes. SeaZip 4 performs logistic services for Thialf and various HMC vessels.

Highest conceivable quality and safety requirements

HMC are committing themselves to the most feasible operational quality and safety and, thus, they place high demands on their partners. ‘Our compliance with the international oil and gas industry standards brings about considerable opportunities for our organization. This first assignment fits well with our ambition to add value to the innovative offshore energy industry with the help of excellent vessels and management services’, said SeaZip Managing Director Mr. Arends.