Bugsier Reederei can look back on a history that spans over a century. The company, with the largest tug fleet under German flag, will celebrate their 150th anniversary in 2016, and will also mark the delivery of the newly purchased Damen ASD 2411. The tug, to be delivered from Damen Shipyards Sharjah, will be named Bugsier 22 and serve as a harbour tug in German ports.

A basic balance

With a strong tug fleet, Bugsier has been catering to the offshore oil and gas industry for decades as well as the thriving offshore wind energy market. “We operate tugs, which are commonly known to work in both ports and offshore – consequently we enjoy a high degree of utilisation. However, in an effort to decrease our daily balancing act of what tug to assign to which job and strengthen our port operation, we decided to order a standard harbour tug,” states Bugsier Business Development Manager Sven Schroeder.

This brought them to Damen. “We had previously delivered four ASD 2411 units to Hamburg, so we could quickly fulfil their requirements. This, in combination with the proven performance and efficiency of the ASD 2411, solidified the purchase,” states Damen Sales Director Frank de Lange.

Purchase premier

This will be the first purchase agreement between Bugsier and Damen. Mr. Schroeder explains the reasons behind the contract: “Value for money was one determining factor,” he says. “We were on the lookout for a swift fleet addition for harbour towage and, from our point of view, the Damen ASD 2411 is a logical addition to our fleet of highly sophisticated and manoeuvrable vessels and meets all our requirements.” The ASD 2411 incorporates a state-of-the-art hull and skeg design with recent developments in fender, fairlead and winch design, as well as excellent sea-keeping features and towing characteristics.

The truth is in the numbers

Complying with Bugsier requirements, the Bugsier 22 will be 98% standard with minor modifications and specific German flag requirements. Damen having already delivered 90 vessels of the ASD 2411 design was an additional benefit. “One simply cannot ignore the fact that Damen builds many tug boats – thereby gaining competitive advantage over other shipyards with respect to design and operability,” states Mr. Schroeder. “We are looking forward to serve our harbour clients with our first Damen product in the future.”

Fugro’s dynamically positioned multi-purpose drilling, well intervention and geotechnical vessel, Fugro Synergy, is proving her capabilities on a multi well intervention campaign which recently started in the Gulf of Mexico. The campaign involves utilisation of a top tensioned 6 5/8” riser and coiled tubing, and fieldwork for the contract is being undertaken jointly by the Cross Group Inc and Fugro. It employs the expertise of both organisations, providing a safe, efficient and cost-effective field-proven MODU (mobile offshore drilling unit).

The vessel was designed and built specifically for well intervention services, and with her impressive technical specification, Fugro Synergy truly complements MODU-based operations. Complete with a top tension riser system, this allows through-riser intervention activities. “The tower on Fugro Synergy allows us to run pipe, as opposed to either using a crane over the side, or running riser-less well intervention equipment,” explained Kevin Bosley, Managing Director at Fugro Drilling and Well Services.

“In the current industry climate ‘added value’ is of paramount importance, and Fugro Synergy certainly adds significant value to such client operations, together with our ability to deliver a flexible contracting strategy,” he continued. “The Cross Group’s 7-inch work-over riser packages are being run from Fugro Synergy, with both of our organisations focused on providing joint capabilities for a total light well intervention solution.”

Built in 2009 Fugro Synergy has a successful track record that includes a 2013 well abandonment campaign for Cairn Energy in Greenland where four exploration wells were permanently plugged and abandoned; and a deep water well de-risking campaign in 2014 which involved geotechnical and associated pilot hole (drilling and logging) services at drilling locations and field developments offshore Mexico.

• New solution increases connectivity and morale for crew

Harris CapRock Communications has introduced a service that enables remote maritime and oil rig crew members to stay connected with family and friends anywhere in the world via their cellphones or smartphones.

The service provides crew members — even in the most remote locations — with reliable mobile roaming as well as pay-as-you-go voice, text, email and some smartphone data services. Global on-site assistance is also available.

“Our expanded offshore GSM service increases connectivity and boosts morale for our energy and maritime customers’ crew members,” said Tracey Haslam, president, Harris CapRock Communications. “This allows reliable communication with management as well as loved ones at home.”

Crew members can use either a local prepaid SIM card or home network roaming option. With home network roaming, they can keep their existing handsets and phone numbers without changing their SIM cards. Billing is sent directly to the individual’s home network account.

Harris CapRock Communications is a premier global provider of managed satellite and terrestrial communications solutions specifically for remote and harsh environments including the energy, government and maritime markets. Harris CapRock owns and operates a robust global infrastructure that includes teleports on six continents, five 24/7 customer support centers, a local presence in 23 countries and more than 275 global field service personnel supporting customer locations across North America, Central and South America, Europe, West Africa and Asia Pacific. Harris CapRock blogs about company news and satellite communications trends in the energy, government and maritime markets at http://www.harriscaprock.com/blog/. 


Some 50% of crews working on offshore support vessels are willing to compromise safety rather than say ‘no’ to clients or senior management, while nearly 80% believe commercial pressures could influence the safety of their working practices.

The chilling findings, released to coincide with this week’s International Maritime Organization Maritime Safety Committee meeting, come from a new report on workboat and OSV safety commissioned by operations and maintenance management software specialist Helm Operations.

‘The Impact of Crew Engagement and Organizational Culture on Maritime Safety in the Workboats and OSV Sectors’ is the first maritime safety study specific to workboats and OSVs and will be finalized in time for World Maritime Day 2015, on September 26.

The independent report will summarize six months of research by Dr. Kate Pike and Emma Broadhurst of Southampton Solent University. It draws on original analysis of Port State Control detention records, feedback from 50 offshore companies, incident case studies, and input from leaders in best practice.

“This is a major contribution to knowledge in the industry, highlighting the link between the human element and safety performance in this distinct sector,” says Ron deBruyne, CEO and Founder of Helm Operations. “It tests often repeated regulatory assumptions, establishes the realities of workboat and OSV safety, and provides key recommendations aimed at improving maritime safety.”

Despite the inherently risky nature of their work, many workboats are not bound by SOLAS or the International Safety Management (ISM) Code. Both the Paris and the Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) data show that 27% of workboat deficiencies relate to certificates and documentation, the report says.

“This report identifies shortcomings in current safety cultures, and makes recommendations on how the workboat and OSV sectors can enhance and audit safe working practices,” says deBruyne.

An online survey drawing on 50 key offshore companies saw 34% of respondents saying their company needed to offer additional operational and technical training. Worryingly, 50% found it difficult to say ‘no’ to a client or senior staff demanding actions that might compromise safety. Some 78% of respondents believed that commercial pressures could influence safety.

“We’re concerned that the research also confirms how under-reporting of near misses can undermine an entire safety culture,” says deBruyne. “This is partly due to the repercussions of reporting. Better safety management procedures, improved safety culture and crew wellbeing mean lower workboat and OSV deficiencies and detentions.”

To support this contention, the report identifies a set of eight safety criteria to help companies establish safety management systems that follow the principles set out in the ISM Code. It offers recommendations on communication; empowerment of employees; feedback systems; mutual trust; problem identification; promotion of safety; responsiveness; and safety awareness.

‘The Impact of Crew Engagement and Organizational Culture on Maritime Safety in the Workboats and OSV Sectors’ will be available on September 26, to coincide with World Maritime Day.'

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has published its annual safety and environmental statistics. Drawn from 264 IMCA contractor members and based upon 798 million man-hours of work overall (558 million man-hours relating to offshore work) the 2014 dataset shows that the overall ‘flat line’ tendency in lagging safety indicators has continued in the longer term.

“Direct causes of Lost Time Injuries (LTIs) continue to be the ‘usual candidates’ – with struck by moving/falling objects the highest accounting for 110 incidents (26%); falls on the same level (including slips and trips) in second place with 88 incidents 21%) and struck against, entrapment, and falls from height accounting for 37 (9%), 34 (8%) and 33 (8%) incidents respectively. In all there were 424 LTIs recorded by IMCA members,” reports IMCA’s Technical Director and Acting Chief Executive, Jane Bugler. 

“We actively continue to urge members, and non-members alike to make good use of our extensive collection of safety posters, pocket cards and DVDs all designed to increase awareness and lower incident levels as we continue to strive for the ‘holy grail’ of zero incidents.

“There were fewer fatalities (six rather than nine the previous year). Causes were cardio/respiratory failure; crewman hit by a blind flange and died of injuries; vessel master swept overboard by a parting rope and drowned; crewman hit in neck and fatally injured by snapping taut wire; man overboard – drowning; and crewman killed when nearby crane boom struck by lightning.

“We continue to work closely with our members and other trade associations to ensure that all marine contracting industry work-place fatalities are properly recorded, our focus remains on lessons learnt and information sharing to ensure that these incidents never recur. To this end we publish brief and anonymous information on each of the fatality incidents reported each year.

Useful insight

“Safety and environment statistics remain a useful insight into the performance of a company and industry sector in the areas of health, safety and environment,” she adds.

“The purpose of these statistics is to record the safety and environment performance of IMCA contractor members each year and to enable IMCA members to benchmark their performance. Statistics were provided by 264 companies and organisations, representing around 60% of the contractor membership, excluding drilling contractors and contractors who report as part of a greater group with 62 contractors taking part for the first time. IMCA would like to thank all those who took part in this important annual benchmarking exercise.

“For the purposes of comparison, the safety statistics recorded by IMCA members are consistent with those of other main industry trade associations, International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) and International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC).”

Downloadable report in preparation

This year, IMCA will publish a short summary leaflet or downloadable report summarising the 2014 statistics, whilst continuing to publish a detailed statistical analysis of the safety data as a separate information note for members. As in previous years, data are separated into offshore and onshore activity to improve consistency in the data collected. The offshore statistics cover offshore work only, whereas the inclusion of onshore work covers such areas as fabrication yards and office work. For the purposes of these safety statistics, “inshore” work (for example in the renewables sector) is considered to be offshore rather than onshore.

Environmental data

The statistics also include environmental data of one form or another that was provided by 59% of members. This is the third year that IMCA has collected information from contractor members on their environmental performance. Listed or publically traded companies are in many cases required to provide annual information of this sort for their stockholders.

The information IMCA has sought to collect has been broadly based on IMCA SEL 010 – Guidelines for the use of environmental performance indicators and covers:

• Number of oil spills per million man-hours worked;

• Litres of oil spilt per million man-hours worked;

• Bunkers used (either in tonnes or in cubic metres) per million offshore man-hours worked;

• Megawatt-hours (not kilowatt-hours) electricity used per million onshore man-hours worked;

• Tonnes (not kilogrammes) of non-hazardous waste per million overall (offshore and onshore) man-hours worked;

• Tonnes (not kilogrammes) of hazardous waste per million overall (offshore and onshore) man-hours worked.

Harvey Gulf International Marine (HGIM) announces it is launching a new affiliate, Harvey Shipyard Group, to manage its shipbuilding assets. Harvey Shipyard Group is acquiring Gulf Coast Shipyard (Gulfport, MS) and Trinity Yachts (New Orleans, LA). HGIM Chairman and CEO Shane J. Guidry said, “These shipyard acquisitions will position Harvey Gulf as America’s only builder, owner, and operator of dual-fuel (diesel/LNG) offshore supply vessels and allow us to pass along the savings of lower operating costs and environmental protection to the Marine Transportation industry.”

Building on Gulf Coast Shipyard’s success in constructing the nation’s first LNG OSVs for the offshore market and building top of the line tank and hot oil barges, HGIM and its affiliates will catapult the Gulf Coast Shipyard into a state-of-the-art builder of world-class vessels. HGIM alone is investing $350 million to construct its dual-fuel fleet.

This July, HGIM will be opening its first of its kind marine fueling station at Port Fourchon, LA to bring LNG as a marine fuel to the offshore and inshore industry. HGIM’s $25 million Phase I construction will be capable of fueling Harvey Gulf’s fleet of dual-fuel offshore supply vessels and will accommodate America’s growing fleet of over-the-road vehicles operating on safe, efficient LNG.

Harvey Gulf is the only American shipbuilder to meet the stringent requirements of the ABS “ENVIRO+, Green Passport Gas Fueled Ships” certification and will continue building and operating the most environmentally–friendly vessels in the Gulf of Mexico. “The duel-fuel vessels we’re building and our LNG bunkering facility are indicative of HGIM’s commitment to develop and utilize the safest, most environmentally-friendly vessels and fuel technology available today,” said Guidry.

Harvey Gulf expects its shipyard acquisitions will result in an expansion of operations in Gulfport and New Orleans as it continues to bring innovative dual-fuel ship design, engineering and construction to its marine transportation industry clients. Companies interested in ship construction or converting presently owned vessels to cost-saving duel-fuel power can contact Wayne Bourgeois, Chief Operating Officer of Gulf Coast Shipyard; Robert Gwinn, President of Harvey Gulf; or Shane J. Guidry, Chairman and CEO of Harvey Gulf and its affiliates.

There is no question that these are challenging times for offshore oil in the Gulf of Mexico. However, while some vessel operators are tying up boats, Bordelon Marine is continuing with their aggressive build program. Designed for flexibility, the firm’s Stingray 260 Class DP 2 platform supply vessels are proving their design concept.

Photo courtesy of Bordelon Marine

The most recently launched, number two and three in the series, boats are the M/V Shelia Bordelon,(photo) and M/V Brandon Bordelon due for launch later this year. Working with the same hull and accommodation block, Bordelon have been able to modify the vessels to meet the requirements of charterers wanting an ultra-light-intervention vessel. These vessels will carry and deploy remotely operated vehicles (ROV). This required the addition of a 50-ton AHC (Active Heave Compensating) crane, with 3000 meters of wire, mounted on a six-meter pedestal with a maximum lifting height of 90 feet.

“Typically when a charterer adds ROV systems to a vessel, they are required to install extra generators on the back deck, exposing this equipment and taking up valuable cargo space” explains Wes Bordelon, Presidend/CEO of Bordelon Marine, “We’ve added all of these necessary power systems below deck, leaving the back deck open and clear, while also protecting the equipment from the environment. It’s a very clean and safe plug-and-play set up.”

To do this took some serious design work. The standard Stingray 260 PSV design has a pair of Cummins QSK60 Tier 3 main engines, two Cummins QSK38-DM1-powered 975 kW main generators, and a single Cummins QSK19-powered 535 kW genset for reduced consumption during port side service. Two additional Cummins QSK38s and two QSK19s were added below deck to provide fully redundant power to the ships’s 50-ton crane, and up to two complete work class ROV systems.

Marine disconnects were positioned on deck for safe and efficient installation of ROVs. As integral components of the vessel, the additional gensets are tied into the vessel software so that they can be controlled and monitored from the bridge.

The flexible nature of the original Stingray design lends itself to these adaptations, and others, to allow the vessel to meet changing market demands. Total berths have been increased from 54 to 60 along with other modifications to the accommodations area for the ROV support crews.

MMT, specialists in high-resolution marine surveys, has successfully completed offshore integration trials of their new high-speed remotely operated vehicle with Sonardyne International’s SPRINT inertial navigation system.

The 2,000 meter rated vehicle, named Surveyor Interceptor, has been developed by MMT to improve the speed and efficiency of seabed mapping and pipeline inspections surveys. Its revolutionary design features a hydrodynamic hull and powerful drivetrain enabling the vehicle to travel at up to six knots, around 50% faster than conventional Work-class ROVs. The accuracy of SPRINT complements the vehicle’s state-of-the-art imaging and mapping sensors, resulting in improved survey data quality and substantially reduced ‘cost per kilometer’ of surveys.

MMT’s record-breaking Surveyor Interceptor ROV is equipped with Sonardyne’s SPRINT INS system to improve the accuracy of high speed pipeline inspections and surveys.

Travelling at high speed close to the seabed requires the vehicle’s automatic maneuvering and propulsion systems to be supplied with highly precise and uninterrupted position updates. To meet this requirement, MMT selected Sonardyne’s acoustically aided inertial navigation system, SPRINT. Designed for subsea vehicles, SPRINT makes optimal use of acoustic aiding data including USBL, LBL and Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) and other sensors such as pressure sensors to improve accuracy, precision, reliability and integrity in any water depth.

Inertial navigation is inherently self-contained and robust with very good short term accuracy but can drift over time. SPRINT is therefore aided with complementary acoustic positioning data to provide long term accuracy and robustness and greater vehicle control. On the Survey Interceptor, a Sonardyne Inverted Ultra-Short BaseLine (iUSBL) transceiver has been interfaced directly to the SPRINT resulting in a highly optimized navigation solution that delivered position updates up to 100 times a second.

Besides its stand-out levels of precision and fast update rates, MMT also chose SPRINT as it is the most cost-effective and low risk technology on the market. The system architecture inside SPRINT has been developed with flexibility and expandability in mind. This means the same vehicle-mounted hardware can be used as a premium survey vehicle grade gyrocompass or an acoustically aided INS depending on operational requirements. Users are able to upgrade and switch capability on demand using remotely activated in-field upgrades, meaning they only pay for the features they need.

Alan Macdonald, Sales Manager for Sonardyne commented, “We are obviously delighted with the outstanding results that MMT has achieved using SPRINT, both in testing and more recently, during its first commercial operation. At a time when the offshore industry is focused on ways to reduce costs without compromising on quality, the combination of MMT’s ground-breaking ROV and our SPRINT INS represents a unique offering to the construction survey marketplace.”

Jonas Andersson, R&D Manager at MMT said, “When testing the new MMT Survey Interceptor ROV, we were looking for an inertial navigation solution that would deliver real-time performance with high speed updates. By running Sonardyne’s SPRINT inertial navigation system we witnessed a marked difference in the accuracy of all ROV positioning activities during the period, which in turn made a marked difference to the quality of the survey data received.” He went on to say, “Now that Sonardyne has also released their new Syrinx DVL, we will be looking to run further tests in the future. This will be done with a view to achieving even more precise position accuracy using a tightly integrated Syrinx DVL, SPRINT and USBL acoustics.”

On June 11th, 2015, Fugro’s premier geophysical survey vessel, the Fugro Americas, successfully completed data collection for a geochemical coring campaign in the Caribbean. The project marks the maiden voyage of the new-build vessel.

Mobilisation for the campaign immediately followed the vessel’s departure from the construction shipyard in Louisiana in April. Her stable design and experienced, dedicated crew enabled efficient and intelligent data collection to enhance survey results beyond expectations. The integrated project comprised 141 piston cores and 7 heat flow measurements that yielded over 1,500 biological and geochemical samples. In an article discussing the campaign, Caribbean Port Agencies, Inc. asserted, “It was a very successful project, both for the vessel owner and the oil major that contracted her for the work.”

The Fugro Americas represents a pivotal advancement in multi-purpose geophysical survey operations and, together with Fugro’s comprehensive understanding of the dynamic objectives and constraints of deepwater operations, supports the company’s global commitment to exceeding client expectations.

For more information:
Melissa Wood; Sales & Marketing Manager, Fugro GeoServices, Inc.; e: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Global operator in the subsea inspection, repair and maintenance sector (IRM), Harkand, has embarked on a contract awarded by Premier Oil Plc to support the operator activities on the Solan field development, West of Shetland.

The multi-purpose service vessel the Siem Spearfish, which is on long-term charter to Harkand, arrived in Newcastle earlier this month to begin mobilization for the campaign which will see it perform walk-to-work duties for the ongoing commissioning work on site.

The Spearfish is being fitted with an Ampelmann active motion compensated gangway which will allow personnel to walk onto the Solan platform safely, even in high wave conditions. The Spearfish is due to arrive on site in Block 205/26a in the UKCS later this month with the work expected to run until August.

The 120m Spearfish was launched last year after being designed and built at the Vard facility in Norway with input from Harkand. Constructed with a deck layout specifically designed to increase the efficiency for mobilization and demobilization, it is equipped with a 250 ton AHC offshore crane with 3,000m of wire and two heavy workclass Triton 4000 meter XLS ROVs and can accommodate a crew of 110.

Harkand Europe managing director David Kerr said: “Solan is an important development and is expected to contribute to the UK economy for the next 20 years. It is also a potentially challenging project in terms of the variable weather conditions anticipated West of Shetland.

“The safety and welfare of the offshore workforce is paramount and we are pleased to have been selected to provide support with a state-of-the-art vessel which is outfitted with the necessary equipment and the people to meet the demands of working offshore West of Shetland.”

New simulator wing features DNV certified VSTEP Dynamic Positioning and Full Mission Bridge Simulators and type approved ECDIS classroom

The simulation center of the Technical University of Varna has officially opened its new simulation wing on May 21st, 2015. Following the opening of its simulation center in 2012, the TU Varna has known a steady growth and further expansion into a new simulator wing was required. All the simulators in the TU Varna training center are delivered and installed by VSTEP. The new wing features a NAUTIS Class B DP Simulator as well as a NAUTIS class A Full Mission Bridge Simulator and a new ECDIS Simulator classroom.

The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the Technical University and officials of the municipal government of Varna. The rector of the Technical University, Mr. Ovid Farhi, and the mayor of Varna, Mr. Ivan Nikolaev Portnih, were present during the opening.

Simulator developer VSTEP was again the developer of choice to deliver and install its DNV certified NAUTIS simulators at the facility, including a NAUTIS DP Class B simulator and a NAUTIS Class A Full Mission Bridge Simulator. Using state of art simulation technology, the DP Class B simulator can be directly combined with the Class A FMB to form a fully multifunctional 360° Bridge setup. The bridge can also be transformed into a Full Mission Tug Simulator.

In addition to the DP and FMB simulators, the existing NAUTIS ECDIS Classroom has been extended with 5 new ECDIS stations. The NAUTIS ECDIS Classroom is now fully operational to provide type approved training for all current ECDIS systems, including Maris, Kelvin Hughes, NavMaster and SevenCS’ E-Globe which are all integrated into the NAUTIS ECDIS Systems.

Pjotr van Schothorst, VSTEP CEO: “The necessity and opening of this new simulator wing reminds us of the importance and growth of the TU Varna as a maritime educational facility in the region. Following our cooperation with the TU Varna simulation center in 2012, VSTEP is proud to have once again been selected as the simulator supplier for this new simulator wing. The new DP simulator and Type Approved ECDIS simulator classroom allows the TU to proceed with a very extensive and state of the art curriculum of maritime training courses. ”

The simulation center of the TU Varna is one of the most advanced training and education hubs in the region. Simulation developer VSTEP was selected as simulator contractor for the center in 2012 and has since delivered three NAUTIS Bridge Simulators, five Engine Room Simulators, an Incident Command Simulator, a DP Simulator and a full classroom with desktop ECDIS trainers for the facility.

Bulgarian National TV created a news report about the opening of the new simulator wing of the TU Varna. Watch the video report at here.

Global operator in the subsea inspection, repair and maintenance sector (IRM), Harkand, has successfully completed its first campaign in the Caribbean for BG Trinidad & Tobago.

The 75-day ROV subsea support services project was concluded at the start of March by the team on board Harkand’s multi-purpose vessel the Go Electra in the waters off Trinidad and Tobago.

The workscope included carrying out ultrasonic technology scans, free span pipeline rectification work, subsea control module change outs, and the supply and installation of anode pods and clamps at various locations throughout the North Coast Marine Area (NCMA) and East Coast Marine Area (ECMA) of Trinidad and Tobago.

Harkand Europe managing director David Kerr said: “We enjoy a very good relationship with BG and we are pleased to have carried out this scope of work to meet their requirements in Trinidad and Tobago, especially at this challenging time of year which is out with the usual IRM weather season in the region.

“The success of this campaign was down to the collaboration on board the Go Electra with our personnel working closely with BG Trinidad & Tobago to ensure the work was delivered safely and effectively. It is a testament to this collaborative working relationship that only five days’ weather related downtime was experienced out of the 75 day campaign.

“Our initial mobilization was efficient with all personnel and equipment clearing customs without delay. We are also delighted to have utilized local content on this project which included ROV pilot technicians, stewards and riggers.”

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 and Ghana, Harkand aims to be the leading subsea IRM and light construction contractor globally.

CGG vessel utilization for the second quarter 2015:
The vessel availability1 rate was 74%.This compares to a 84% availability rate in the first quarter of 2015 and a 94% rate in the second quarter of 2014.

This vessel availability rate this quarter is the consequence of:

• a 10% high steaming rate to reposition vessels this quarter, from APAC and West Africa to NALA, for large tenders won recently.
• a 13% high fleet standby rate mainly due to delays in permitting in Latin America.
• and a 3% yard time.

The vessel production2 rate was 94%.This compares to a 92% production rate in the first quarter of 2015 and a 92% rate in the second quarter of 2014.

Fleet allocation update for the second quarter 2015:
During the second quarter of 2015, our vessels were allocated 42% to multi-client programs (vs 52% in Q2 2014 and 35% in Q1 2015).

Fleet coverage for the third and fourth quarter 2015:
Following the recent award of a large project in Latin America occupying two vessels until the end of the year, the fleet coverage as of July 1st stands at 91% in Q3 and 71% in Q4.

- The vessel availability rate, a metric measuring the structural availability of our vessels to meet demand; this metric is related to the entire fleet, and corresponds to the total vessel time reduced by the sum of the standby time, of the shipyard time and the steaming time (the “available time”), all divided by total vessel time;

2 - The vessel production rate, a metric measuring the effective utilization of the vessels once available; this metric is related to the entire fleet, and corresponds to the available time reduced by the operational downtime, all then divided by available time.

Gibraltar-based ship repair company, Gibdock, has built up a close working relationship with Solstad Offshore, with a number of the Norwegian operator’s specialist offshore craft being repaired at the yard over the past few years. This partnership was recently rekindled when a Construction Support Vessel (CSV), the 5000dwt Normand Pacific, arrived in Gibraltar for its first special survey. Gibdock managing director, Richard Beards, says,”Solstad Offshore is a repeat customer that we hold in very high regard and we were delighted to welcome them back again. They are a quality operator and it is a positive reflection on our growing reputation within the offshore sector that they have chosen us to repair and maintain their vessels.” The 122m long Normand Pacific, which was built at the Fosen shipyard in Norway in 2010, entered the Gibdock yard in mid-May for a three week program of works, including two weeks in drydock and one week alongside. The vessel had been operating offshore West Africa, but was due to commence a new deployment offshore Mexico. Richard Beards says,”Gibdock was ideally located to carry out the required special survey and pre-contract repair and maintenance work. Solstad Offshore was able to redeploy this valuable asset with limited deviation, and hence lower costs.”

A key element of the drydocking works was the requirement to service Normand Pacific’s two Schottel propulsion thrusters which, in addition to three Brunvoll tunnel thrusters and a Brunvoll retractable azimuth thruster unit, were dismantled in the dock, and moved to the yard’s workshops for extensive overhaul work. Gibdock fitters assisted owner-arranged manufacturer technicians with the servicing of all six units.

In addition, Gibdock assisted MacGregor service engineers with the overhaul of the Normand Pacific’s 200 tons lift capacity offshore crane. Paul Cano, Gibdock ship repair manager, says,”This was in many ways the most demanding aspect of the project, as it involved removing three out of the four hydraulic boom cylinders, each of which weighed 8 tons, and transporting them to the workshop, where they were stripped down and overhauled. We then returned them to the ship, lifted up the boom and refitted the cylinders in place, while other works on the crane and surrounding area were ongoing.” When the crane was fully operational once more, Gibdock sub-contracted Water Weights to carry out a load test, to class requirements, using water bags.

The three-week stay of Normand Pacific at Gibdock also saw the yard carry out extensive pipework for various systems onboard, including the installation of 57m of new piping for new ballast water treatment technology. Additionally Gibdock fabricated and installed pipelines for the cooling system, and carried out a range of standard drydocking works, including external hull coating and overhauling the sea valves. The vessel’s lifeboats and davits were also tested and serviced during Normand Pacific’s stay in Gibraltar.

Paul Cano says,”It was very pleasing to have been chosen to carry out the vessel’s first drydocking. We worked well with Solstad Offshore and the crew of the Normand Pacific to undertake an extensive scope of works in what was quite a demanding time frame.” In the event, Gibdock completed the job slightly ahead of schedule, ensuring the vessel was able to sail on to its next charter on time on June 10th.

Malcolm Rosie, technical director, Solstad, comments: “We were delighted to return to Gibdock with Normand Pacific, after a gap of several years since we were last in this region for drydocking. We were very pleased with the outcome and would have no hesitation returning to Gibdock in the future.”

Established in 1964, Solstad Offshore has grown to become a leading global offshore services provider. It operates a fleet of around 50 fully- and partly-owned vessels, including Platform Support vessels (PSVs), Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) craft and CSVs.

The European Innovation Project LeanShips – Low Energy And Near To Zero Emissions Ships – will demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of energy saving and emission reduction technologies at real scale. LeanShips is one of the first projects funded under the new European Research and Innovation Framework Program HORIZON 2020.

The project is coordinated by Damen Shipyards Group and jointly managed by the Netherlands Maritime Technology Foundation (NMT), the Center of Maritime Technologies (CMT) from Germany and Cetena, the Italian Ship Research Centre.

LeanShips officially started on 1 May 2015 with a grant of 17 million Euro. The large project partnership consists of ship owners, shipyards, equipment suppliers and research institutes. In total, 46 partners (81% from industry) from 12 EU member states and one associated country are part of the project.

LeanShips aims to put innovations into practice by carrying out eight demonstrator show cases that combine technologies for efficient and less polluting vessels with end-users’ needs and requirements. Dedicated teams of equipment manufacturers (technology providers), shipyards (technology integrators) and ship owners (technology users) as well as rule makers will make certain that the innovations developed in the project are matured to market uptake capability.

The following eight demonstrators are part of the project:

The project target markets are the small to midsized ships for intra-European waterborne transport, vessels for offshore operations and the leisure and cruise markets. First impact estimates for LeanShips show fuel saving of up to 25%, CO₂ reduction of at least 25% and an expected decrease of SOx/NOx/PM air pollutants by up to 100%. Through their participation in the project, the LeanShips partners intend to set an example and encourage more ship owners to invest in green technologies.

Leading standby vessel operator Atlantic Offshore Rescue has unveiled the third new vessel in the past 12 months as part of its fleet modernisation program, representing an investment totaling £300 million.

Ocean Falcon, a brand new Class A Multi Role and Emergency Response and Rescue (MRV/ERRV) vessel was christened at a ceremony at Aberdeen harbor , before commencing a contract with a major UK operator. Atlantic Offshore Rescue will provide emergency recovery, rescue cover, tanker assistance and general field support for offshore operations at the Curlew Field, in the North Sea.

The ship can accommodate 21 employees, and has the amenities to rescue up to 300 people. As well as incorporating the very latest technology systems including a towing capacity of up to 65 tons, it measures 66.80 meters in length and 16 meters beam and features two MAN main engines with a power of 1935 kW each.

Ocean Falcon, the latest vessel to be launched, as part of Atlantic Offshore Rescue’s 300 million fleet modernization program.

Ocean Falcon is a new H820 design from Havyard Ship Design. It was built and developed in Passai, Spain by Zamakona shipbuilders, in close collaboration with Atlantic Offshore Rescue over an 18 month period. Its sister ships, Ocean Tay and Ocean Osprey were launched in February and May 2014, respectively.

Matthew Gordon, managing director of Atlantic Offshore Rescue, said: “We are immensely proud to unveil Ocean Falcon, the third vessel to be launched as part of our extensive modernization strategy. The vessel incorporates cutting edge technology, and it is due to this and the expertise and professionalism of our team that we have secured a lucrative contract with an oil and gas operator.

“We are trailblazing the way for emergency support vessels in the North Sea and this program is part of our vision for strategic growth and commitment to offer the very best FSV and ERRVs to existing and potential clients, a vital assurance for offshore operations within the energy sector.”

The new vessel has secured 30 jobs and is one of 11 ERRVs managed by the company from its new 12,000 sq ft Aberdeen base at Waterloo Quay. The move, which took place earlier this year, totals an investment of £3.5 million over a ten year lease period.

Mr. Gordon continued: “Moving into our new premises was is a real milestone in our history, and already marks a very successful year for Atlantic Offshore Rescue. Having outgrown our previous office we now have the capacity to accommodate future growth in the coming months and years. Being so close to Aberdeen harbour, we are also in a position to increase operational efficiency and better serve clients.”

Atlantic Offshore Rescue is part of the Atlantic Offshore Group, which is based in Norway. Atlantic Offshore Rescue Ltd employs 350 people (approximately 330 seamen and 20 office-based staff) and provides multi-role offshore and emergency rescue and response vessels for many of the oil majors operating in the North Sea.

Inclusive of Atlantic Offshore Rescue’s 11 vessels, Atlantic Offshore Group currently operates a fleet of 22 ERRVs and Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs) and manages further PSVs on behalf of third parties.

The Group’s aim is to continue to expand its capabilities within both the Norwegian and British sector of the North Sea and to be able to provide cross-border solutions reflecting the needs of its clients.