10th volume, no. 23 dated 07 June 2009 ______Buying, Sales, Newbuilding, Renamings, etc.

TUGS & TOWING NEWS

SMIT Guadeloupe handed over Friday 29th May the new ASD 2810 tug SMIT Guadeloupe (Imo 9476381) was handed over from the Damen Galati Shipyard to her owners SMIT Shipping Singapore Prv. Ltd. The tug is the 21st ASD 2810 design for SMIT and the first ASD 2810 with a FIFI 1 notation for SMIT. The two Caterpillar 3516 diesel engines develop a 3678 kW (5000 bhp) to two aquamaster thrusters which give the tug a speed of 13.7 knots foreward and 13.6 knots astern. Her bollard pull ahead is 60.5 tons and astern 56.7 tons. She has a length of 28.67 mtrs, beam 9.80 mtrs and a draft of 4.60 mtrs. The vessel built under Bureau Veritas Class and yard number 511544 carried the Bahama flag with call sign C6XU9. She will be operate in Panama and sailed on Tuesday 2dn June, with a Redwise crew from Galati to Cristobal

Photo: Henk v.d. Houwen Photo Tudorel Stroie – ARTA LUX CO.

Ocean Wrestler spotted on the Danube On Sunday 31st May the Ocean Wrestler (Imo 7119044) was spotted when passing the Damen Galati Shipyard Rumania The tug was underway to the STX Braila yard to pick up a new built Anchor Handling Tug Supply vessel for outfitting in Norway The Ocean Wrestler from Atlas Towage & Salvage in Piraeus is built in 1972 as Wrestler , call sign ORQY, for the Sleepdienst Letzer N.V. – Salvage in Piraeus is built in 1972 as Wrestler , call sign ORQY, for the Sleepdienst Letzer N.V. – Salvage in Piraeus is built in 1972 as Wrestler , call sign ORQY, for the Sleepdienst Letzer N.V. – Antwerp, on the Beliard Murdoch yard – Oostende under yard number 210. In 1974 she was transferred to the Union van Redding & Sleepdienst – Antwerp. In 1989 she was sold to Atlantic Tug & –

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Canada and renamed Ocean Wrestler call sign ZHFL2. In 1996 she was sold and renamed Hadisangsuria. In 1998 she was re-sold to Sea Link Marine – New Westminster and renamed in Ocean Wrestler again. In 2008 she was re-sold to Atlas Salvage & Towage – Piraeus without renaming. The tug develops 6.000 bhp by 2 EMD567 engines and has a length of 52.32 mtrs, beam 11.02 mtrs and a draft of 5.22 mtrs, with a bollard pull of 65 tons and sailed with call sign HO5138 under the Panama flag. (Photo: Hans van der Ster)

Baber bound to the Arabian Gulf The Stantug 4511 Baber, handed over on the 28th of May at the Damen Galati Shipyard Rumania departed last Monday the 1st June. She sailed out with Damen/TOS crew bound for Abu Dhabi. The tug, owned by Gulf Shipping Maritime Establishment – United Arabian Emirates. Is built under yard number 512008. She is the fifth Stantug 4511 for this owner. The sixth and last one for this owner is still under outfitting on the same yard and named Ghaznavi yard number 512009 (Photo: Marius Ghinea)

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This week the website is updated with new photo’s under the chapter Historica you find the oldie Tudor Vladimirescu and the “Fleetlist” is updated with the Canadian Navy Fire Class Tugs

Sleepboot niet meer om te krijgen Tijdens Tugnology’09, een technologiebeurs voor de sleepvaartindustrie, presenteerde het bedrijf Nautic Arm zijn gelijknamige uitvinding. Nautic Arm werd dit jaar derde in de Mkb Innovatie Top 100, die werd samengesteld door innovatienetwerk Syntens, ondernemersblad Bizz en Octrooicentrum Nederland. Midden in een zaal van het Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam, waar Tugnology’09 plaatsvindt, staat een waterbak waarin een stalen bootje drijft. Op het dek van het bootje is een trapeziumvormige, scharnierende constructie gemonteerd, de Nautic Arm. Evert Zwijnenberg, de uitvinder, trekt aan een touwtje dat vastzit op het dek van het scheepje. Hij draait aan een knop op de waterbak, waarna het water in de bak begint te stromen. Al snel kapseist het schip. Vervolgens pakt hij een tweede touwtje, dat aan het trapezium vast zit. Hoe hard hij het water ook laat stromen, het bootje blijft stabiel in het snelstromende water liggen. Sleepboten, waar de bevestiging van de sleeplijn boven de waterlijn zit, kunnen kapseizen als er een te grote kracht op de sleeplijn komt, legt hij uit. Dit komt omdat het aangrijpingspunt van de sleeplijn hoger ligt dan het centrum van de zijwaartse waterweerstand, het zogenoemde laterale punt. ‘Met de Nautic Arm kun je de hoogte van het aangrijpingspunt van de

** J.v.d.Ster – Marcol Production ** [email protected] – www.jvds-marcol.nl sleepkracht zelf kiezen’, legt Zwijnenberg uit. Deze constructie, een scharnierend parallellogram, kun je zo dimensioneren dat het feitelijke aangrijpingspunt van de sleeplijn op dezelfde plek ligt als het

Laterale punt, binnenin de scheepsromp. Het schip kan daardoor niet worden omgetrokken. Samen met ondernemer Herbert ten Have probeert Zwijnenberg de Nautic Arm naar de markt te brengen. Tijdens de beurs hebben ze met veel bedrijven uit de sleepvaartindustrie gesproken. ‘Er waren er bij die heel concreet waren’, zegt Ten Have. Op de eerste plaats van de MKB Innovatie Top 100 eindigde de 'SensOren', een uitvinding van veehouder en informaticus Gerard Griffioen. Chips in een siliconen houder in het oor van koeien monitoren voortdurend de fysieke gesteldheid van de dieren. Het systeem belt zonnodig de boer uit bed om een zieke koe bij te staan. Plaats twee viel toe aan Statiq Cooling uit Rijssen, dat een koelsysteem zonder koudemiddel heeft ontwikkeld. De koelers werken louter door verdamping, en gebruiken dus in plaats van een koudemiddel, slechts water en buitenlucht. Dat bespaart energie en bovendien kunnen de ramen gewoon open.

SD Jupiter commenced trails The Damen Gorinchem newbuilt Stantug 2608 SD Jupiter commenced trails last week in the Europoort – Rotterdam. The tug built under yard number 509825 for Serco Denholm Marine Services for their Ministry of Defence project will be delivered at the end of this month. (Photo: Ruud Zegwaard)

‘Monterrey’ enters service for LNG terminal Spanish builder Union Naval Valencia (UNV) of Valencia delivered ‘Monterrey’ to her owners Servicios Marítimos de Baja California, Mexico, earlier this year. Delivered in late February, the RAstar 3200-class tug is the first of four expressly designed to work at the Costa Azul LNG terminal on the north-west coast of Mexico, at a terminal exposed to fully developed Pacific swells. The basic requirements for the tug design stipulated that the tug and its winch must be able to sustain a line pull of 75 tonnes throughout the entire terminal approach in a +2-metre significant swell. The resulting winch is massive and extremely powerful; accordingly it dominated every aspect of the vessel

** J.v.d.Ster – Marcol Production ** [email protected] – www.jvds-marcol.nl design. In addition, the owners required that the entire design be less than 500GT, which caused constraints on the intended vessel configuration. In order to cope with the predominant sea conditions, Robert Allan, Canada, chose to utilise the new RAstar hull form for best sea-keeping. The 500GT constraint forced some minor modifications to that concept, and also forced a shortening of the forecastle. The basic hull form reflects the well-proven double chine form that characterises all Robert Allan designs, with a sweeping "chined" stern. A large escort skeg is fitted forward which in conjunction with the sponsoned hull shape enhance the indirect towing capability and provide much enhanced roll stability. Measuring 32 metres by 13.2 metres, ‘Monterrey’ has a moulded depth of 5.55 metres and an overall draught of 5.68 metres. The 4,930kW tug is classed ABS X A1 Towage Service, Escort Vessel, Fi-Fi 1, X AMS, Unrestricted Service. On trials the vessel achieved a mean bollard pull of 82.5 tonnes and achieved a free-running speed of 14 knots. ‘Monterrey’ has a fuel oil capacity of 218 cubic metres, a potable water capacity of 26 cubic metres and an engine lube oil capacity of two cubic metres. The general layout of the tug is illustrated in the accompanying General Arrangement drawing. The vessel has been outfitted to the highest standards for a crew of six. The main deck features generous cabins for the Master and Chief Engineer, both with en-suite facilities and a spacious crew mess/lounge, served by a fully equipped galley. The lower deck contains two crew rooms, equipped for double occupancy. These two crew rooms share access to a common lavatory space. The remainder of the lower deck space is dedicated to stores spaces and the winch machinery space. The wheelhouse is designed for maximum visibility with a single control station providing maximum visibility to both fore and aft deck working areas. Low noise levels throughout the accommodation and control spaces of the tug are achieved by utilizing advanced methods of isolating main propulsion machinery, as well as high-grade insulation and floating floor techniques. Main propulsion for ‘Monterrey’ comprises a pair of MTU- 16V4000 M71 diesel engines, each rated 2,465kW at 2,000rpm, and each driving a Rolls Royce model US255 fixed pitch Z-drive unit in ASD configuration, through a Lufkin MV1600S reduction gear and a hollow carbon-fibre intermediate shaft with no line bearings. The combination delivers a static bollard pull of 80 tonnes. The electrical plant comprises four diesel gensets, with a 460v/three-phase/60Hz power output. Two 's service gensets rated 125kW each are intended for normal operations. When the winch or Fi-Fi systems are operated one of the two large gensets, each rated 800kW are operated. The winch and Fi-Fi generators are configured for parallel operations. The ship service generators are configured for operation on one generator, with the second generator on standby, and the system is provided with an autostart capability that allows automatic start-up of the selected standby generator and connection to the dead bus in the event of a generator failure. Fire-fighting is to Fi-Fi 1 Class, using electrically- driven Nijhuis pumps and Monitors. As mentioned, the most distinctive feature of this series of tugs is the main hawser winch on the fore deck. The most obvious difference to a normal ship-handling tug winch is the fact that this winch is arranged in a waterfall configuration. This solution, proposed by Robert Allan to the winch manufacturer, put the drums in line, making escort operations through a single staple much easier. The Markey DESDF-48WF winch fitted is claimed by the manufacturer to be the most advanced high-performance electric hawser winch in the world. This 521kW winch features dual drums each with a capacity of 200 metres of 80mm UHMW-PE soft line for use against a bollard pull of 75 tonnes. The unit was designed to perform close escort service in conditions up to Sea State 5 with three-metre significant wave height with a 14-second wave period. Using variable- frequency electric drives, dynamic motor braking and water-cooled disc brakes, this winch is capable of Asymmetric Render/Recover operation that will maintain constant line tension under such rough sea conditions. The hawser winch is accompanied by a 7.5 KW WEPC-14 anchor windlass and a 15 KW CEP-60 Stern Capstan also by Markey Machinery. The aft deck is served by a Large H-Bitt, and a vertical capstan for general line-handling. Ship-handling fenders at the bow comprise two parallel rows of 900 by 450 cylindrical fenders. 350 by 350 hollow "D" fenders provide protection at the main and foc’sle deck sheer lines, and around the stern. (Source : Baird)

** J.v.d.Ster – Marcol Production ** [email protected] – www.jvds-marcol.nl

Catharina van Seumeren When cleaning up the Catharina van Seumeren (Imo 7702475) was found in an old shoe box of Henk Winde’s collection. The Catharina van Seumeren is built in 1980 and at this moment sailing under the flag of Trinidad and Tabago with the name Catharina V for Singh Contractors and with call sign J8LV5. Henk give his warmly thanks to the former Redwise crew (Source: Henk Winde)

OFFSHORE NEWS

New charter agreements for Farstad Farstad Shipping has been awarded a two vessel charter for a period of 12-15 months to support a drilling campaign in waters off Australia and New Zealand for a consortium of operators under the agency of Australian Drilling Associates. The consortium has contracted the AHTS Far Scimitar (2008, UT712L, 15,600 bhp) and the AHTS Far Fosna (1993, UT722, 14,400 bhp) in support of the semi submersible rig Kan Tan IV. The vessels are expected to depart the North Sea in early June. Shell Australia has contracted the PSV/ROV Lady Christine (1985, ME303, 2,680 DWT) for approximately four months to support their drilling operations offshore Western Australia. Petrobras has renewed the contract for the PSV Far Sleipner (1984, ME 202, 3067 DWT) in Brazil for a further 2 years contract. Petrobras has also declared their options to extend the contracts for the AHTS Far Sailor (1997, UT722, 16820 bhp) and the AHTS Far Senior (1998, UT722L,18000 bhp) for a period of 146 days. Statoil has declared their option to extend the contract for the PSV Far Star (1999, UT745, 4303 DWT) for a period of 2 years. The total revenue from these contracts amounts to approximately NKr 450 million excluding options. (Source: OSO; Photo: Leo Kramer)

Far Samson wins OSJ ‘Ship of the Year’ 2009 award The most powerful offshore vessel ever built – Far Samson - which was designed by Rolls-Royce and built by STX Europe for Farstad Shipping in Norway, has been awarded Offshore Support Journal’s ‘Ship of the Year 2009’ award. Rolls-Royce developed the design of the UT 761 CD working closely with Farstad to meet the terms of a long term charter contract. Far Samson, which was formally named and delivered in March, has demonstrated a continuous bollard pull of 423 tonnes using all available power and more than

** J.v.d.Ster – Marcol Production ** [email protected] – www.jvds-marcol.nl

377 tonnes using her main propulsion system. Apart from its world record-breaking bollard pull, Far Samson is an innovative vessel in many respects, and incorporates a wide range of new technology. The vessel is a truly multifunctional offshore vessel and is capable of carrying out heavy ploughing operations for pipes and cables on the seabed, as well as subsea installation work in ultra deep water, along with towing, deploying ROVs and conducting a range of subsea operations. The vessel can cut trenches in the seabed in water up to 1,000m deep. At 121.5m in length with a 26m beam, Far Samson also has an ice-strengthened hull to Ice Class 1B, and is capable of more than 19 knots. The vessel also benefits from an innovative hybrid propulsion system combining diesel-electric and diesel mechanical transmission, which provides optimal operating flexibility, fuel economy and reduced exhaust emissions. The diesel engines on board meet Clean Design class rules and catalytic converters are also fitted to the generator sets, giving a 95 per cent nitrogen oxide (NOx) reduction. OSJ Ship of the Year awards will be presented to Farstad Shipping, Rolls-Royce Marine and STX Europe at 1.00pm on Thursday June 11th the OSJ Conference at Nor-Shipping, which takes place at Thon Hotel Arena, Lillestrom, Norway. Far Samson will also be the subject of a special in-depth supplement in the September/October 2009 issue of OSJ. (Source: OSO)

Second vessel for Fletcher Shipping Seabrokers reports that Aberdeen-based Fletcher Shipping has acquired the 1996-built UT 745 PSV Northern Gambler from Trico for a price in the region of US$26 million. The vessel will continue on its long term charter to ASCO which runs until December 2013 with five yearly options thereafter. Asco in turn have the vessel on long term charter to Apache North Sea Ltd. Handover is scheduled for the end of June when the vessel will be renamed FS Pegasus and re-flagged to the UK register. This will be Fletcher Shipping’s second vessel and follows the purchase in 2007 of FS Aquarius, formerly the 1991 built Star Aquarius. Royal Bank of Scotland assisted with the financing of both vessels

Strategic Marine launches ‘Samson Supporter’ Fremantle maritime support company Samson Maritime ordered two 40-metre fast utility vessels from Henderson-based Strategic Marine last July, with the first of the vessels launched early this week at Strategic’s Singapore yard. The vessel, named the ‘Samson Supporter’, has a top speed in excess of 25 knots, business class seating for 50 passengers with the ability to increase passenger numbers to 100 by utilising a modular interior, accommodation for twelve crew members, 120 square metres of deck space, as well as a central deck house. Some of the unique features of the ‘Samson Supporter’ are its use of to allow the vessel to remain on station for extended periods and conduct accurate ROV work, and a one-square-metre moon pool to allow hydrographic survey equipment to be deployed in a secure housing. The vessel also has an A-frame crane installed on the aft of the cargo deck and FiFi 1 for firefighting, including a vessel deluge system. Samson Maritime Director Jeremy Williams said these features were not required by industry standard crew boats, meaning the two vessels were truly unique. “This brand new design combines the best of established maritime design principles with leading edge technology,” Mr Williams said. “Importantly, these new vessels are built to the stringent requirements needed to operate them on the Australian coast. These boats have the inbuilt flexibility to allow them to perform a wide range of both inshore and offshore maritime support tasks, including high speed supply runs, crew transfer, safety support and intervention and inshore and offshore survey tasks,” said Mr Williams. (Source: Baird)

PGS sells Geo Atlantic to GC Rieber Shipping PGS has announced that its subsidiary Arrow Seimic Invest I Ltd has entered into an agreement to sell the seismic vessel Geo Atlantic to GC Rieber Shipping for US$58 million in cash.The sale is a part of the previously announced plans for asset sales, which are targeting proceeds of US$200 million in 2009.Jon Erik Reinhardsen, President and CEO of PGS, commented: "The purpose of the sale is to reduce debt and strengthen our balance sheet." The asset sale will result in an accounting loss in the second quarter of 2009, estimated at approximately US$45-50 million. The proceeds will be used to repay debt, primarily the Arrow facilities which were established to finance Geo Atlantic and Arrow's two first new builds in Spain (newbuild 532 and 533).

** J.v.d.Ster – Marcol Production ** [email protected] – www.jvds-marcol.nl

YARD NEWS

Gulf Princess delivered by C&G Boatworks Earlier this year C&G Boat Works Inc launched Gulf Princess for owner Graham Gulf. Originally conceived as a 175ft by 34ft vessel the decision was made during construction to add a 10ft extension bringing the vessel length to 185ft. The original power package was retained. This included four 1,800hp Cummins KTA50-M main engines turning 48in propellers through ZF 4650 gears with 2.5:1 reduction. A Cummins 6CTA8.3DM engine powers the Thrustmaster TH250RT retractable bow thruster. Two Cummins 85kW 6BTA5.9DM/Newage generator sets supply the vessel’s electrical requirements. Gulf Princess is DP-1 rated with a system supplied by Kongsberg. A sister vessel, to be named Sybil Graham, is currently in build for delivery in the third quarter of 2009. Sybil Graham will be classed DP-2. (Source: OSO)

KBV001 handed over The first in a series of three Coastguard vessels the KBV001 was handed over last Monday 1st June – to Swedish Coastguard Kustbevakning in a ceremonial assignment. The construction of the vessel and its two sisters was project managed by the Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding and entrusted on the Damen Galati Shipyard in Romania. The vessel employed primarily to patrol Sweden’s territorial waters. The KBV001 is equipped to carry out environmental control duties, customs duties and conduct fishery and traffic control operations. The KBV001 is equipped to carry out emergency towing, fire fighting, oil spill recovery, rescue operations, environmental research, diving and ROV operations. Important is that the vessel is environmentally friendly built. Emissions have been reduced to a minimum and there is a strong focus on fuel economy and heat/energy recovery. In order to meet this diesel-electric propulsion system was chosen, offering maximum flexibility throughout the operational envelope.

Damen’s Europe Sales Director Mr. Joris Neve and the Swedish Coast Guard Kjell Göthesson shake hands on the aft deck of this modern Multi Purpose Emergency Response Vessel.KBV001 (Photo Tudorel Stroie – ARTA LUX CO.)

** J.v.d.Ster – Marcol Production ** [email protected] – www.jvds-marcol.nl

Vroon takes delivery of VOS Hestia Vroon Offshore Services Pte Ltd has taken delivery of a new addition to its offshore fleet.VOS Hestia, an anchor handling tug supply vessel, built at the Fujian Shipyard in China, was delivered on 11 May in China.The vessel will operate in Southeast Asia. (Photo: Vroon)

Hindustan Shipyard launches Indian Coast Guard vessel Hindustan Shipyard’s facility in Visakhapatnam launched the first inshore patrol vessel of the Indian Coast Guard on May 28. The ‘Rani Abbakka’ is the first of a series of five vessels. She was launched by Harkiran Basra, wife of Inspector-General S.P.S Basra, Commander (Eastern region) of the Indian Coast Guard. The Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Shipyard, Commodore Naresh Kumar, said that ‘Rani Abbakka’ would be commissioned this August and that the rest of the vessels would be delivered within one year. (Source: Baird)

Norwegian Boa in Troubles Norwegian shipping company Boa Group is having trouble securing financing in Norway for the nine vessels it has ordered from shipyard Bergen Group Fosen. Boa Group’s manager Mr Ole T.Bjørnevik is now considering moving construction to China where loan offers have been extended. If such a move takes place major job losses could be expected at Bergen Group Fosen. Vessels on order are 4 x VS 491 CD Multipurpose Seabed Logging/ 4 x VS 495 DEM CD MKII Multifunctonal Platform Supply vessel 1 x MT 6007 MKII Platform Supply Vessel all vessels hull under construction at the Mingde Shipyard China (Source NewShip)

Order for New Salvage Vessel Russia’s Nevsky Shipbuilding & Shiprepair Yard has won a tender from Russia’s Federal Marine and River Transport Agency for construction of a 1,171 dwt multi-purpose salvage vessel. The vessel is of design project MPSV07 developed by Marine Engineering Bureau- SPB. It will be classed by the Russian Maritime Registry of Shipping and will have a length of 73 metres, breadth of 15.5 metres and draught of 5.1 metres. Two diesel engines of 2,000 kW each will provide a speed of 10 knots. The vessel will be operated by the State Marine Pollution Control and Salvage and Rescue Service of Russian Federation (Gosmorspassluzhba) and will included into the state rescue fleet capable to perform underwater-technical, diving and rescue works at water depths of as much as 60 metres. (Source NewShip)

Heavy Lift Vessel ordered by Heerema South Korean yard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co said it has won a US$45 million order to build a heavy lift vessel, its first merchant shipbuilding order of the year. The deal with a Dutch company calls on Daewoo Shipbuilding to deliver the vessel by the end of 2010, the company said in a statement. Daewoo Shipbuilding did not identify the buyer’s name. But broker said the Heerema Group of the Netherlands was the customer. The vessel will be used to launch and transport offshore facilities and will measure 180 meters in length and 46 meters in width and will be 19,100 tonnes. The Heerema Group is involved in transporting, installing and removing offshore facilities. “Due to the shipbuilding market downturn, Daewoo failed to win orders for a long period of time, but the company is expecting to see the beginning of many new orders to come with the recent order from Heerema Group as a momentum,” said Daewoo Chief Executive Officer Mr Nam Sang-tae. (Source NewShip)

Hellespont christens two platform supply Two platform supply ships, BY-66 and BY-67, under construction in Cochin Shipyard for Hellespont Group were christened at a function held at CSL. The ships were christened as “Hellespont Defiance” and “Hellespont Drive”. Cmde M Jitendran, CMD, Mr N.M. Paramesh, Director (Finance), Cmde K Subramaniam, Director (Operations), and other senior officers of the company were present

** J.v.d.Ster – Marcol Production ** [email protected] – www.jvds-marcol.nl on the occasion. These ships are of the popular UT-755 LN design for the offshore industry. The vessel is designed for satisfying the specific demands of transport of deck cargo, pipes, liquid cargo, cement/ barite etc and unloading to rigs and production platforms, pipe-laying barges etc. They are the workhorse of offshore oil field industry which acts as a lifeline carrying all operational supplies and stores to far off offshore installations. The ship is built and classified under the stringent rules and regulations of Det Norske Veritas and is classed for unmanned engine room and dynamic positioning grade 2. The vessel also satisfies “CLEAN” notation of DNV which signifies high standards of environmental safety

Eidesvik, Ulstein Verft postpone vessel delivery Eidesvik and Ulstein Verft have agreed to postpone delivery of two under construction seismic vessels. The first vessel, which was set for delivery in March 2010, will be delivered in June 2010. The second vessel, which was set for delivery in June 2010, will be delivered in September 2011. Charterer CCGVeritas called for the postponement.

SEABREEZE MAY REPORT

Market Round up Canadians Take Big Step PetroCanada has fixed the 1999 built VS 483 PSV Far Strider for 300 days plus options until completion of drilling operations in support of drilling West of Shetland. The fixture is a sublet from Team Marine and the dayrate is reported to be in the region of £ 11,000.

An Old Frende Photographed recently in Aberdeen harbour by David Dodds is Ostensjo’s 1991 built Edda Sprint ex Edda Frende. The vessel is on a Shell UK term charter which is due to finish in July and thereafter it is understood that the vessel is for sale. The vessel was recently re-named as Ostensjo’s newbuild PSV delivering from Astilleros Gondon in June has assumed the name Edda Frende. On delivery the new Edda Frende will commence a five year contract with Shell UK.

Napoli No More The tug Mustang is pictured below with the Atlas preparing to leave Aarhus in Denmark on 7th May for Rotterdam where the barge will be equipped with a crane in preparation to assist salvage operations on the wreck of the containership Napoli. The salvors will remove the final stern sections of the Napoli which was deliberately grounded at Branscombe Bay on the South Coast of England in January 2007 to avoid sinking.

** J.v.d.Ster – Marcol Production ** [email protected] – www.jvds-marcol.nl

Fugro Extend Gargano, Cancel Fugro Energy The Gulf Offshore managed UT 755L design PSV Gargano has been extended by Fugro Seacore until the end of 2009. The vessel is supporting coring operations in the North Sea. In the Middle East Fugro cancelled the proposed term contract of the DP AHTS Fugro Energy ex Miclyn Enterprise which had been scheduled to conduct ROV and survey duties.

Lucky Omen for Total Total UK have fixed North Star’s 2007 built PSV Grampian Talisman as a re-let from Talisman Energy (UK). The charter is for four months plus options and the vessel will support activity on the Alwyn and Dunbar fields in the northern North Sea, east of Shetland. North Star also made the news in May with the announcement that it had won the British Safety Council’s prestigious International Safety Award in recognition of its comprehensive health and safety policies and its commitment to the promotion of a positive safety culture.

Setback for Tidewater US owner Tidewater, the world’s largest offshore vessel operator, has laid up eighteen vessels this year to bring the total number of stacked units in its fleet to sixty one. Fleet utilisation has fallen to 33% in the US where a quarter of the stacked vessels are located. On top of these laid-up units Tidewater has also suffered the seizure of eleven of its vessels which were operating in the Lake Maracaibo area of Venezuela. The action was part of a widespread move by the authorities to reserve for the state the right to provide services to the oil and gas industry. As a result of the action the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA has taken over the Tidewater vessels and assumed responsibility for their crews. Tidewater has been offered USD 2.8m for the seized assets but this figure is well below the market value according to Tidewater which is currently owed about USD 40m by PDVSA. Despite this setback and the current downturn Tidewater is pushing ahead with its ambitious USD 1 billion fleet renewal programme involving the delivery of fifty new vessels over the next three years.

Apache Pick A Pair Apache have had a hectic last few months with term PSV and ERRV tenders. The PSV tender was issued back in March asking for offers basis 6, 12 or 18 months firm. After a detailed evaluation the UT705 MkII PSV Acadian Sea with 868m2 of deck area was contracted for 12 months firm. Previously the vessel had been on term charter with Talisman, however that contract completed in April, she then went direct to dry dock for her scheduled docking. The vessel commenced her term charter with Apache directly after the docking in early May The vessel is working ex Peterhead supporting the Apache Forties field. (Photo c/o David Dodds)

Vos Seeker The second requirement bid way back in February was for enhanced ERRV services on the Apache field. Offers were requested for a 2, 3 or 5 year period. Following bid evaluations the multi role newbuild vessel VOS Seeker was selected. The vessel will go on hire in September this year for a 5 year period. The Vroon newbuild comes equipped with the latest daughter craft and FRC units which have heave compensated davits to match. The vessel has diesel electric propulsion, so as well as being highly manoeuvrable has excellent environmental credentials with ultra low fuel consumption.She also has 250m2 of cargo deck area, so as well as providing enhanced ERRV services to the Apache Forties field she will also be utilized for fuel, water and deck cargo duties.

** J.v.d.Ster – Marcol Production ** [email protected] – www.jvds-marcol.nl

New Challenger The second of a series of twelve AHTS being built for German owner Hartmann has been named UOS Challenger at a ceremony at Fincantieri’s Muggiano ( La Spezia) shipyard where fitting out was completed following construction at Fincantieri’s Palermo yard. Ten more vessels of the Moss 424 design are being built at Fincantieri’s Palermo, Riva Trigoso and Muggiano facilities all delivering by mid 2010. As reported in the March Seabreeze the UOS Challenger is fixed for 214 days + options via Grupo TMM to the Mexican state owned oil company Pemex.

Newbuildings, Conversions, Sale & Purchase

New Lease of Life for Tug Svitzer’s 1984 built deep sea tug Singapore, well known to readers as the ex Smit Singapore, has undergone an upgrade at its original builders yard, Royal Niestern Sander shipyard in the Netherlands. The work involved a general upgrade and modernization including the installation of new high efficiency Lips HR nozzles and propeller blades resulting in improved fuel efficiency and an increased bollard pull of 189 t. On completion of the upgrade the Singapore sailed from Rotterdam bound for (appropriately) Singapore towing the semi Oban-B.

American Stallion Pictured right at Damen yard c/o Joop Bartels is the newbuild MPSV HOS Iron Horse being constructed by the Dutch Merwede shipyard for US owner Hornbeck Offshore Services. The vessel was launched in January and is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter when it is expected to mobilize to the US Gulf. The vessel is a sister to the HOS Achiever which delivered last October from the same yard.

Scotsman Goes Green Another recent sale was that of the 2920 dwt, 1982 built PSV Ocean Scotsman ex Scotsman Sea ex Far Scotsman ex Seaforth Monarch which was sold by Norway’s Sartor Shipping to unnamed buyers who plan to use the vessel for windmill support duties. The purchase price was in the region of USD 6.5m and the vessel is to be renamed Natalie.

Delayed Delivery Indian owner Great Offshore is to delay the delivery from Bharati shipyard of its newbuild MSV Samid Shikhar from this summer until potentially 2010 or later. Reason stated was to undertake “amendments in the design incorporating improved safety requirements for enhancing marketability of the asset globally”.

Credit Crunch Casualty An innovative MPSV has become one of the latest casualties of the economic downturn. Citing difficulty raising finance Romania’s GSP Titan has given notice of contract termination to Keppel ** J.v.d.Ster – Marcol Production ** [email protected] – www.jvds-marcol.nl

Singmarine Pte Ltd regarding the 161.5m LOA DP3 it ordered last summer. The Singapore $181m vessel had been designed by Ulstein to have the combined capability of undertaking pipelay, heavy lift and tender assist drilling operations. The project had been at an early stage and it is understood that Keppel have received compensation for work carried out and anticipated loss of profit.

Rolls-Royce Defies Downturn Recent announcements from Rolls Royce are welcome news amidst the current flow of negative headlines. The first news release was of confirmation of an order worth GBP 7m to design and equip a type UT 755LN PSV for use in the Canadian market. The vessel is to be built at the Halifax Shipyard in Nova Scotia for the account of Canadian owner Atlantic Towing Ltd who have secured a long term charter with EnCana Corporation. The vessel will operate in the Deep Panuk field off the east coast of Canada. The second announcement advised that CBO (Companhia Brasileira de Offshore) had placed an order worth GBP 13m for the purchase of a further two Rolls Royce offshore vessel design and equipment systems. The two new UT 715L vessels will be built in Brazil with delivery in 2011. This latest contract follows a series of similar orders from CBO including two vessels already in service, three that are to be delivered this year and a further three for delivery in 2010. The most recent vessel to deliver was the UT 715L design PSV CBO Manoella built by the Brazilian shipyard Alianca. The order reflects continued optimism in the burgeoning demand for offshore equipment to service Brazil’s ambitious exploration and production programmes.

Fairplay’s Latest Acquisition German owner Fairplay has taken delivery of the 90 ton bollard pull anchor handling tug Fairplay 31 ( pictured c/o Tugspotters) from Spanish builder Astilleros Armon Navia. The 39m LOA tug is fitted with two main engines developing 7213 BHP which drive two azimuthing Schottel propulsion units. The sister vessel Fairplay 30 which was delivered last year is currently working in West Africa while at the time of going to press the Fairplay 31 was available in Rotterdam.

New-Generation Stimulation Vessel Halliburton have christened their next-generation stimulation vessel Stim Star Angola. The 73.4m long DP2 vessel will provide operators with cost-effective access to all phases of production stimulation including acidizing, fracturing, sand control, and conformance solutions. The vessel will be capable of working in difficult sea conditions in deepwater locations at tension leg platforms, drill ships, l arge semi - submersibles and single wellheads. The Stim Star Angola will be available by the third quarter of 2009 and will be based in Soyo, Angola.

New Crewboats for Kanoo Kanoo Shipping has expanded its fleet of fast crew supply boats with the launch of the first of its new Kanoo 40 series. Intended for operation in the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea the new design is capable of carrying 35 passengers plus stores and equipment. Although primarily intended for use in servicing Kanoo’s ship agency clients, the vessels will be equally capable of supporting offshore operations such as cable laying, surveys, pipeline repairs etc.

** J.v.d.Ster – Marcol Production ** [email protected] – www.jvds-marcol.nl

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** J.v.d.Ster – Marcol Production ** [email protected] – www.jvds-marcol.nl