September 2017 www.osjonline.

com

North Sea recovering

but more rigs and ships need to go

Lifting platform joins growing ranks of offshore access offerings

Fibre rope has numerous advantages but greater standardisation needed

“Vessels colliding with a platform have long been considered a major risk for
offshore oil and gas installations and better training can help to avoid it”
Michael Cowlam, technical director, Seacroft Marine Consultants, see page 19
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 September 2017
volume 20 issue 7 contents

05
Regulars
15 5 COMMENT
32 IMCA NEWS
35 BEST OF THE WEB

News focus
6 Mozambique is emerging as a potential sweet spot for OSV owners
8 Hybrid battery propulsion is being specified by charterers such as Statoil

23 Area report
11 West Africa: expectations that the market had begun to recover came to
nought mid-year

Offshore access/walk-to-work
15 The latest addition to the growing range of offshore access systems is not a
gangway but a lifting platform

26 Simulation & training

19 An Aberdeen, UK-based maritime specialist has launched a 500m zone
management training course
20 The Underwater Centre is winning business from an increasingly diverse
client base

Lifting & handling

23 Fibre rope is steadily displacing steel wire but there is a need for greater
standardisation, harmonised testing and certification

www.osjonline.com Offshore Support Journal | September 2017

contents
Well intervention vessels September 2017
26 Whether a rig or a vessel is used, could well intervention do more to maximise volume 20 issue 7
economic recovery, asks Andrew Paterson, managing partner, OFS Partners
Editor: David Foxwell
t: +44 1252 717 898
e: david.foxwell@rivieramm.com

Deputy Editor: Martyn Wingrove

t: +44 20 8370 1736
Innovations e: martyn.wingrove@rivieramm.com
31 OSVfinder offers charterers and owners the ability to connect directly and
Brand Manager – Sales: Ian Glen
reduce costs in the process t: +44 7919 263 737
e: ian.glen@rivieramm.com

Sales: Indrit Kruja

t: +44 20 8370 7792
e: indrit.kruja@rivieramm.com
Market data
Sales: Colin Deed
36 Statistics t: +44 1239 612384
39 VesselsValue e: colin.deed@rivieramm.com

Head of Sales – Asia: Kym Tan

t: +65 9456 3165
e: kym.tan@rivieramm.com

Sales – Asia & Middle East: Rigzin Angdu

Next issue t: +65 6809 3198
Designs and deliveries: this issue will feature the most notable vessels that e: rigzin.angdu@rivieramm.com
have been delivered or ordered during the last 12 months
Sales – Southeast Asia & Australasia: Kaara Barbour
t: +61 414 436 808
e: kaara.barbour@rivieramm.com

Front cover photo: Production Manager: Ram Mahbubani

Cygnus Bravo, the satellite wellhead platform in the Southern North Sea’s Cygnus t: +44 20 8370 7010
development, attended by an ENSCO jack-up unit and PSV (photo: ENGIE E&P) e: ram.mahbubani@rivieramm.com

Subscriptions: Sally Church

t: +44 20 8370 7018
e: sally.church@rivieramm.com

Chairman: John Labdon

Managing Director: Steve Labdon
31 Finance Director: Cathy Labdon
Operations Director: Graham Harman
Head of Content: Edwin Lampert
Executive Editor: Paul Gunton
Head of Production: Hamish Dickie
Business Development Manager: Steve Edwards

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VESSELS EXITING LAYUP AS
NORTH SEA MARKET IMPROVES
B
P confirmed in late July that it had
returned to profit in Q2, helped
by firmer oil prices and what chief
executive Bob Dudley said would
be a “tight focus on costs, efficiency and
discipline in capital spending.” That the oil
companies have begun to make money
at US$50 oil was one bit of good news.
Another is that conventional oil and gas
producers are approving new projects at
the fastest rate since the oil price crash
three years ago and are “fighting back”
against competition from shale and low
crude prices. A third piece of good news is
that offshore vessel owner Tidewater has
exited bankruptcy proceedings. Another
leading player in the market, GulfMark, is
said to be close behind, and fourthly, over
the summer, a number of leading OSV
owners have restructured.
According to a recent Wood
Mackenzie report, A big year for
FIDs: 2017 marks a turning point, the
number of upstream projects reaching
final investment decision (FID) in 2017
could double to 25 compared to only
12 last year. In the first half of the year,
the industry has witnessed 15 project
sanctions, which equates to about 8
billion barrels of oil equivalent (bn boe) of
reserves, mostly in brownfield projects.
This is almost comparable to project
www.osjonline.com Offshore Support Journal | September 2017
sanctions in the whole of 2016, which
saw 12 FIDs and 8.8bn boe of reserves
approved. “These are positive signs that
the upstream industry is continuing on
the road to recovery and that the more
competitive conventional projects are
moving down the cost curve sufficiently to
attract new investment,” said the analyst.
So much for the good news. The oil
companies’ relentless focus on cost cutting
has put them in a position to make money
at US$50 oil, but there is still a hell of a lot
of work to be done in the supply chain, as
analysis by Rystad Energy and VesselsValue
suggests. After an all-time high level, with
409 rigs contracted in 2014, demand for
jack-ups plunged 25% to 308 units in 2016.
With 100 newbuilds either completed and
not delivered or yet to be completed with
delivery scheduled during the next few
years and only 63 units so far retired, the
jack-up market remains oversupplied,
resulting in low utilisation and depressed
rates. Although contracting activity appears
to be on an upswing, only a small number
of contracts are long-term deals. For
the market to improve, the duration of
contracts needs to improve. Otherwise,
jack-up contractors could find themselves
on a short-term contract treadmill. For the
oversupply situation to begin to correct
itself, a minimum of 110 more jack-ups must
COMMENT | 7
be retired, Rystad believes.
As in the jack-up market, overcapacity
is still the spectre at the feast in the OSV
market. Using VesselsValue’s offshore
mapping service VV@, the company’s
senior offshore analyst Charlie Hockless
has put together a snapshot showing the
percentage of the offshore vessel fleet
currently laid up. Across all offshore types,
28% of the fleet is currently laid up, with
platform supply vessels topping the table
with 36% of the fleet currently laid up. Here
then, as elsewhere in the supply chain,
there is much work to be done, and it is
important that, as the market improves, too
many vessels are not brought out of layup
and back into service too quickly, which
would depress rates.
For its part, Westshore, the well known
broker, says vessels are coming out of
layup faster than you might imagine and
that, one by one, work is being found in
the North Sea and other parts of the world.
However, some owners are choosing to
take the vessels out speculatively, which
might not be such a great idea. Westshore
says that, compared to January/February
2017, when there were more than 150
platform supply vessels and anchor
handlers laid up in the North Sea, that
number is now around 108 – a near 30%
reduction. OSJ
Click here
for more
editor's
comment
videos
6 | NEWS FOCUS
INVESTING IN LOCAL
CONTENT IN MOZAMBIQUE
COULD PAY DIVIDENDS LATER
I
n 2012, Mozambique became a household name in the offshore
industry when a country whose GDP is ranked 124th in the world
by the CIA World Factbook was found to have the 14th largest proven
gas reserves. The opportunities for the offshore industry and the
country seemed boundless, at least until the global oil crash came and
oil majors Eni and Anadarko applied the brakes on E&P spending. As a
final investment decision (FID) has yet to be reached, this puts pressure
on both the government who were relying on the tax revenues and
suppliers looking to make investments.**
One thing what will be certain is that Mozambique will be a positive
place for operators of offshore support vessels to work, although it is
uncertain when that will occur. As Block 4, the Coral Field, is a deepwater
exploration, development and production will require the support of
the worldwide fleet of large anchor handlers, platform supply vessels
and subsea construction and support vessels. Onshore development of
terminals, reliquefaction plants and general infrastructure will be tug and
barge based, providing opportunities for West African, Asian and Middle
Eastern operators of smaller equipment.
Despite having a long coastline and its ports of Maputo, Beira and
Pemba providing access to its many interior neighbours, Mozambique
does not have a large merchant navy or a deep pool of maritime
professionals. According to the World Factbook, 81% of the population
is employed in the agriculture industry, so there are huge challenges for
Mozambique to capitalise on the gas industry by enforcing local content
requirements. Operators of offshore support vessels have seen the
dramatic opex inflation that can occur when strict local content rules are
applied in a market where insufficient investment has been made.
Mozambique currently has only one STCW training institution
certified by the government body INAMAR – ROTC Pemba
Bay. This institution is a joint venture between local Mozambique
investors, STC BV, the large Dutch maritime training provider, and
companies in the offshore and port infrastructure industries, with the
objective of being able to provide internationally accepted training
Offshore Support Journal | September 2017 www.osjonline.com
The East African country of Mozambique has
been in the press often in the last five years as
large gas reserves have been discovered offshore
– reserves that could provide much-needed
opportunities for owners of offshore vessels
by Philip Woodcock*
LEFT: Vroon Offshore is one of a few companies to have
established a presence in Mozambique – more could follow
but will need to train Mozambicans
standards within the East African market.
Célia André, general manager of ROTC Pemba, said market
conditions are very challenging with delays in investment decisions in
the gas industry resulting in ROTC expanding into onshore industrial
training. Ms André expressed frustration that international companies
are looking to external training providers rather than looking at
opportunities within Mozambique to use a local training company to
train local workers. “It’s like they don’t know we exist,” Ms André said.
“We have a new fire-fighting training module delivered to add to our
wide range of courses, but companies are using training companies
from their home markets.” Ms André further explained that training
outside the country for internal projects may not be the best option.
“Mozambican authorities often do not recognise certificates of
competency issued by entities that are not locally accredited, not to
mention the high costs that training outside the country adds to the
projects,” she said.
The Mozambique workforce is caught in a Catch 22 situation
with the delay in tax revenues restricting the government’s ability
to sponsor training and the oil companies not yet investing in
developing local content. This could result in two negative scenarios
for operators of offshore support vessels as the market develops: very
high opex as operators fight over the few locals who are trained or a
reduction in offshore safety as untrained personnel are rushed in to
fill vacancies. Companies serious about operating in Mozambique
waters will be well advised to start training locals and using them in
their fleets in order to be ahead of the market if local content rules
are enforced. OSJ
*Philip Woodcock, general manager, Workships Contractors BV
**A final investment decision for the Coral FLNG project was taken in
late May and announced early in June 2017. ENI has signed a US$8Bn
deal to develop the Coral South field, giving a green light to the long-
awaited, 3.4 million tonnes a year floating LNG project
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8 | NEWS FOCUS
Battery power enhances OSV
efficiency and environmental profile
Hybrid propulsion that combines electric drives, diesel generators and batteries can make offshore
vessels more fuel efficient, reducing fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and enhancing the level of
redundancy onboard
R
ecent weeks have
seen Statoil fix term
charters for several
offshore vessels
that will be upgraded with
hybrid battery propulsion as
a condition of the contract.
All of the vessels in question
will be equipped with hybrid
battery operation, with
the possibility for shore
power connection. This will
allow them to reduce fuel
consumption while working
in dynamic posi­tioning mode.
Four vessels were awarded
five-year firm contracts with
five further one-year options:
Sjoborg (Skansi Offshore), Far
Offshore Support Journal | September 2017 www.osjonline.com
Havila Charisma is one of a number of vessels fixed
by Statoil that will be upgraded with batteries
Searcher (Solstad Farstad),
and Skandi Flora and Skandi
Mongstad (DOF). Three
vessels were awarded three-
year firm contracts with three
further one-year options:
Juanita (Ugland); and Havila
Charisma and Foresight
(Havila Shipping).
As highlighted by our sister
journal Marine Propulsion &
Auxiliary Machinery, batteries
in a hybrid arrangement
benefit vessels in a number
of ways. The overall power-
generation requirement can
be downsized by removing a
genset, while other gensets
can be loaded in their
optimum working range. Also,
batteries smooth the load by
compensating for peaks and
troughs, as well as enhancing
safety and reliability by
providing back-up in the event
of blackouts.
The increased adoption
of hybrid propulsion systems
relies on developments in
battery technology, namely
the ability to offer ever-
greater energy density,
power and performance while
maintaining safety.
As things stand, lithium-
ion (Li-ion) technology leads
the way. Lithium-ion is in
fact a generic term: there
are multiple chemistries
underneath, with the chemistry
being appropriate for a
different application. In the
case of hybrid propulsion, the
choice of battery technology is
critically important.
Saft has become known
for its Li-ion Super-Phosphate
(SLFP) batteries. Jayesh Vir,
Saft key account manager
for the marine segment, said:
“As a Li-ion technology, SLFP
has the advantages of high
efficiency, long calendar
and cycling life, fast-charge
capability and high power
output. It is also modular,
meaning that a battery system
can be tailored to closely
match the customer’s power
and voltage requirements.”
Saft’s Seanergy Energy
Storage Systems (ESS) are
based on SLFP technology
and are intended to provide
maintenance-free energy
storage in a reduced volume,
combining high operational
reliability over thousands
of cycles with outstanding
energy efficiency
“Compared with other
Li-ion chemistries,” says
Mr Vir, “SLFP technology is
particularly well suited to
civil marine applications as it
delivers reliable performance
over a wide temperature
range, has high tolerance
to electrical and mechanical
abuse, and has a high inherent
level of safety.”
SLFP cells are incorporated

in a number of high-profile
applications. They are
present in the two specialised
Seanergy battery systems
that Rolls-Royce Marine is
integrating in the hybrid
propulsion systems for the
polar research vessel RRS
Sir David Attenborough. The
new vessel, one of the most
advanced ever, has been
commissioned by the UK’s
Natural Environment Research
Council for operation by the
British Antarctic Survey.
The diesel electric
propulsion system will be
powered by new Bergen
B33:45 engines that will
operate in combination with
the two Li-ion batteries. Fully
integrated into the vessel’s
control and automation
system, the batteries provide a
combined 1,450kWh capacity
with a maximum voltage of
1,011V. They will help deliver the
peak power required by the
vessel, such as when operating
in a dynamic positioning mode,
and have been sized to enable
the vessel to be self-sufficient
in fuel during voyages of up to
19,000 nautical miles.
The Li-ion batteries will also
help to push the vessel through
ice up to 1m thick, while towing
equipment over the side, with
extremely low underwater
radiated noise, avoiding
disturbing marine mammals
and fish shoals or interfering
with survey equipment.
On a rather different
scale, Saft SLFP batteries will
form part of an innovative
propulsion system for Project
Zoza, the working name
for the mega yacht under
construction by Benetti in
Livorno, Italy. As one of the
largest and most advanced
private hybrid luxury yachts
in the world, Project Zoza
will feature six main engines
and an electrical power plant
including two battery systems
with a total capacity of 3MWh.
The batteries will enable silent
propulsion, as well as peak
shaving and zero emission
www.osjonline.com Offshore Support Journal | September 2017
operation in harbour. Project
Zoza is one of the first yachts
in the world with this capability.
A more recent entrant to this
market is Corvus Energy’s Orca
ESS. Introduced in June last
year, the Orca also uses lithium-
ion technology in its batteries.
In fact, Orca uses cells with an
extremely high energy density,
producing 1.6MWh.
Orca offers a number of
safety-orientated innovations,
including thermal runaway
protection. This problem can
generally be prevented, of
course, by selecting a high-
quality cell manufacturer and
designing the battery system
with a sophisticated battery
monitoring system, hardware
safeties, and good integration
with the energy management
system. In the highly unlikely
event that a cell fails and
its temperature spikes, it
is important that adjacent
cells do not also experience
thermal runaway.
Speaking at Nor-Shipping,
Geoff Crocker, director of
product management and
technical sales at Corvus
Energy, said: “The Orca
energy storage system
design achieves true cell-level
thermal runaway isolation,
meaning that adjacent cells
stay cool without the need
for expensive active cooling.
Further, the Orca ESS module
is designed with internal
ventilation pathways to
vent gases generated by
thermal runaway, and
prevent gas from entering
“The Orca energy
storage system design
achieves true
cell-level thermal
runaway isolation”
the battery room.”
Orca ESS passed the
Norwegian Maritime Authority
(NMA) thermal runaway
propagation Test 1. The
NMA requires tests to verify
that when safety systems
are deliberately defeated
and thermal runaway of a
battery module is induced
by overcharging, the thermal
runaway is limited to a single
module and does not spread
to other modules in the
battery pack. Mr Crocker said:
“Corvus demonstrated that
Orca was designed with a
higher level of fault tolerance
by eliminating the possibility
of thermal runaway spreading
to neighbouring cells within a
single module.”
Thermal management
is another area where the
system succeeds. “The Orca
ESS design is optimised for
heat-shedding to maintain a
uniform temperature across
the cell,” said Mr Crocker. “This
enables the cell to operate
at its maximum capability.
The design incorporates
integrated rack fans and
active temperature monitoring
between cells, which improves
reliability and reduces
maintenance costs in the long
run,” he explained.
Improved thermal
management also means
that, typically, air-cooling is
all that is required to satisfy
marine demands, and less
battery room infrastructure is
needed—both of which reduce
system costs.
For electrical safety,
the design of the Orca ESS
module-and-rack leaves no
exposed cables for increased
safety during installation
and operation. Even the
optional air- or liquid-cooling
systems are integrated into
the rack, resulting in actively
cooled connections. Fewer
connections, a shorter
conductive path, and cooled
connections lead to higher
reliability and performance, in
addition to improving safety.
NEWS FOCUS | 9
Mr Crocker concluded:
“Some of the design
features—in particular those
for thermal management and
electrical safety—also result
in overall system cost-savings
due to faster installation,
and lower expenditures on
the battery room and fire
extinguishing system.”
Vancouver, BC-based
Plan B Energy Storage
(PBES) recently opened
a manufacturing facility
in Norway and appointed
Arnstein Andreassen to
develop its marine energy
storage markets. The company
says it took a “blank sheet”
approach to designing a
marine battery and has
designed a brand new battery
with a particular emphasis on
safe operation.
“We have been validated
and audited by and are
currently a supplier to
Siemens, ABB, Wärtsilä,
GE and Norwegian Electric
Systems,” Grant Brown, vice
president brand and marketing
at PBES, told OSJ in an
interview last year.
“We have a number of
innovations that are related
to performance and safety
that we believe make our
system the only one in the
world able to stop thermal
runaway from occurring
after it has already started,”
although as highlighted above,
other suppliers have recently
brought new solutions to
market too.
The solutions that the
company has developed
are known as CoolCell and
Thermal-Stop. These thermal
runaway protection systems
reduce the explosion risk
and risk of cascading thermal
runaway in batteries that are
overcharged or overheated.
Another new concept, E-Vent,
provides gas extraction from
the battery space, allowing
any flammable or explosive
gases produced by a battery
failure to be removed and
dispersed safely. OSJ
Our passion is not new!
We work with the same passion since the day we started,
despite the high demand on quality, and always with the same commitment.
 West Africa AREA REPORT | 11

WEST AFRICAN MARKET

IN DOUBLE DIP AS MOMENTUM STALLS

EXPECTATIONS THAT THE WEST AFRICAN MARKET HAD BEGUN TO RECOVER CAME
TO NOUGHT MID-YEAR AS THE NUMBER OF RIGS WORKING IN THE REGION BEGAN TO
FALL AGAIN, BUT SOME COMPANIES STILL SEE OPPORTUNITIES THERE

B
roker Chart Shipping said that,
after five months of continuous
increase in the number of rigs
working in Africa, it began to look
like the market might be starting its long
awaited, if fragile, recovery. The working rig
count rose from 17 units in December 2016
up to 24 rigs in May.
“However, the rally was largely driven
by a number of oil independents’ short
programmes, while the oil majors have
been staying out of the water. Sadly, the
momentum has now flagged, and the
working rig count fell to 22 units in June.”
With precious few new campaigns
slated for the remainder of 2017, the broker
believes that the market is destined for a
double dip. In fact, the effects of the decline
in momentum are already apparent.
Chart Shipping said that, although
spot rates for mid-sized platform supply
vessels (PSVs) may have held up, they are an
anomaly, with rates for all other classes of
offshore support vessels falling in most cases
back to Q4 2016/Q1 2017 levels.
At the same time, average monthly
availability for all classes of vessels trended
upwards, with the exception of large
anchor-handling tug/supply (AHTS)
vessels. Small AHTS vessels had the biggest
increase – five units. DeepOcean says acquiring Searov will allow it to expand its operations from Ghana into
“Sentiment among owners is rock countries such as the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Côte d’Ivoire
bottom and term rates, already hovering
at unsustainable levels for most, declining
further in Q2,” Chart Shipping said. “This
is bleak news for owners and charterers
alike. With no prospect of reprieve, for bottom in terms of rates.” requirement for three PSVs to support
owners, the trend to lay up will continue, Peter Döring, a broker at Mercers drilling work. He said he was inundated with
ultimately reducing elasticity in the market Offshore, estimates there are approximately 50 vessels, some of which were in warm layup,
and eventually killing the regional spot vessels in layup in West Africa. In the warm others not. The status of some vessels being
market. This in turn will necessitate periodic waters there, hull fouling is going to be a bid for the contract was unclear.
requirements having to be filled by dedicated major problem when it comes to reactivation. If a vessel has worked recently, it stands
vessels. It is therefore clear that we are at the Mr Döring cited an example of a a much greater chance of picking up a

www.osjonline.com Offshore Support Journal | September 2017

12 | AREA REPORT West Africa
fixture, but a lot of owners have turned off
the lights and walked away.
Mr Döring says some owners have
“given up.” Vessels known to be in the
region have their beacons turned off and
cannot be found on AIS. He says a two-tier
market has developed in which a number
of vessels that are trading regularly are
available at short notice with many others
that have not worked recently unlikely to
pick up work.
There is no sign of improvement
yet, he says. It’s a desperate situation
for owners, but he suggests that, when
the market eventually picks up, rates
for offshore vessels in the region could
skyrocket. By the time the recovery
comes, fewer and fewer vessels will be
active and available, an effect likely to be
compounded by the fact that there are
only two drydocks in the region that can
handle vessels that need to be reactivated.
Although the market offshore West
Africa may be in the doldrums, some parties
evidently still see potential in it, among
them ABIS Holdings Energy Services Ltd,
which has signed an agency agreement to
support the development and operation of
an offshore supply base serving West Africa
on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria, and
DeepOcean, which recently acquired West
African remotely operated vehicle (ROV)
specialist Searov.
The UK-based energy services provider
will act as the agent for Gran Canaria
Subsea and Offshore Base (GCSB), an
organisation that operates in the Port of
Arinaga, in attracting and negotiating
with clients looking to use the port. The
facility is described as an ideal location for
operators requiring port facilities ahead
of work in West Africa and across the
mid-Atlantic Ocean. It is inside the Canary
Islands Special Zone, is tariff free and
incorporates corporate tax levels of just 4%.
The site includes 20 acres of laydown and
storage facilities. The base will offer a suite
of services to support the marine industry
with repairs, refurbishments and general
maintenance while also being in the centre
of Atlantic activity, making it opportune for
project mobilisation.
Francis Kiernan, chief executive officer of
ABIS Energy, said “The base provides all the
benefits of political stability within the EU
and is easily accessible for businesses serving
all areas of West Africa, from Luanda to
Morocco. Full laydown and storage facilities
are accompanied by full technical and project
support services with a high-quality trained
and certified local workforce.”
Offshore Support Journal | September 2017 www.osjonline.com
ABIS Holdings Energy Services Ltd has
signed an agency agreement to support
development of an offshore supply base
serving West Africa
The partners in the project believe that
GCSB would be an optimal location for
operations all over the world. The base offers
a wide range of services adapted to the
subsea and offshore sector. These include
facility support services, port and harbour
facilities, ships agent services and access to
full technical and project support services.
Odd Are Tveit, chairman of GCSB,
said “Our vision is to create the preferred
offshore and subsea hub located centrally in
mid-Atlantic with strategic connections to
Europe, Gulf of Mexico, West Africa and
South America. Bringing ABIS in to support
with the port’s development allows us to
make the most of its management expertise
and draws on the extensive experience
and knowledge held within the business.
The base offers all the facilities businesses
would expect to find at a successful port and
provides options for safe storage.”
Searov, which was established in 2008,
is a provider of ROV services with a strong
focus on West Africa. The company owns
and operates 10 ROVs from its operating
bases in Pointe-Noire, Republic of the
Congo, and Port-Gentil, Gabon. It has
a track record of delivering inspection,
maintenance and repair and construction
support services to international oil
companies in West Africa.
Speaking about DeepOcean’s acquisition
of Searov, Henk van den IJssel, DeepOcean’s
managing director for Africa, said “This
acquisition will allow DeepOcean to expand
its West Africa operations from its current
operations in Ghana into other countries in
West Africa such as Republic of the Congo,
Gabon and Côte d’Ivoire.
“Africa is a key region for DeepOcean,
and building a platform for the provision
of life-of-field subsea services to our
customers is one of our main strategic
objectives. We are excited that Searov’s
president Maxime Cerramon has decided
to join DeepOcean.”
RECENT VESSEL
MOVEMENTS
• Royal Boskalis Westminster’s anchor-
handling tug Union Sovereign has
mobilised from Côte d’Ivoire to the
Netherlands. The 2003-built vessel has 180
tonnes bollard pull, dynamic positioning
class 2 and is FiFi 1.
• Swire Pacific Offshore’s Pacific Leader has
departed West Africa and has sailed back to
Aberdeen following a recent cargo run for
Kosmos Mauritania. The 5,000dwt PSV was
built in 2014 and is DP2 and FiFi 1 classed.
• The 2009-built J Keith Lousteau has
mobilised to West Africa from the Far East.
The Tidewater AHTS vessel has a bollard
pull of 155 tonnes and was built in 2009.
• SBM Installer has left Côte d’Ivoire for
Las Palmas following conclusion of a
work programme on the Espoir field for
CNR. The inspection, maintenance and
repair vessel is fitted with a 275 tonne
crane and DP3.
• Mossalem Tide recently departed
Dubai and is mobilising to Nigeria. The
2011-built Tidewater AHTS vessel has
a bollard pull of 60 tonnes and 355m2 of
clear deck space. OSJ
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email: balenciaga@astillerosbalenciaga.com
tel: 34-943-862008 • fax: 34-943-862089

Making Way

Balenciaga 110613.indd 1 6/24/2013 2:06:46 PM

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 OFFSHORE ACCESS/WALK-TO-WORK | 15

Lifting platform joins growing

ranks of walk-to-work offerings
Despite the downturn in the oil and gas sector, the market for offshore access systems or ‘walk-to-
work’ motion compensated gangways shows no signs of slowing down, with new technology and new
concepts being brought to market

R
arely a month has gone by in
the last couple of years without The OPTS is based on a lifting platform
a manufacturer unveiling a rather than a motion compensated
new offshore access system or gangway and uses a ‘platform basket’
bringing an enhanced version of existing that is fully compensated
equipment to the offshore oil and gas and
offshore wind markets.
That trend continued into Q3 2017, when
a newly formed Dutch company, Lift2Work,
confirmed that is building the first six
examples of a new type of unit, the offshore
personnel transfer system or OPTS, and
Barge Master and Bosch Rexroth installed
another new walk-to-work system on Vroon
Offshore’s vessel VOS Start. Another well
known manufacturer, Uptime in Norway,
unveiled a new, larger motion compensated
gangway not long after Ampelmann mobilised
its first N-type Icemann access system.
Rotterdam-based Lift2Work will build,
service, sell and rent the OPTS, which it
describes as “an innovative way to transfer
people and/or tools and equipment offshore.”
Unlike the other walk-to-work systems
highlighted above, the OPTS is not a gangway designed to be easy to integrate onto a deck. compensated gangway. Launching
but is fully motion compensated. It was “Installation is very easy,” said the company. the gangway on 21 June at Boxtel, the
designed to provide access to offshore oil “The OPTS weighs approximately 15 tonnes Netherlands, Barge Master chief executive
and gas platforms, offshore wind structures and is easy to transport in an ISO container. It Martijn Koppert explained that the gangway
and other vessels and structures. It has the is easy to operate after introductory training will be mounted on a pedestal that holds an
ability to move freely through 360 degrees and provides accurate and stable lifting of integrated elevator, used to transport both
and has a reach of 24m horizontally and more loads.” The company says it can transfer up people and pallet trolleys from ship deck and
than 20m vertically above deck level. It can to six people at an outreach of 18m or four levels below to the level of the gangway. It
also drop to 6m below the level of the deck, people at a 24m outreach. “can be literally any height”, he said.
for example, for rescue purposes. As highlighted above, another new motion Bosch Rexroth sales manager offshore
Originally developed by Offshore compensated gangway has been developed projects Boy Biermans described the
Cooperation (OFFCO) in the Netherlands, by Barge Master and Bosch Rexroth. It has gangway’s telescopic sections, which
it is based on a lifting platform rather been installed on Vroon’s offshore support allow its length to be adjusted to the
than a conventional walk-to-work motion vessel VOS Startand where it will be used situation offshore by an electric winch
compensated gangway. It uses a platform to transport personnel and cargo to offshore system. “This next-generation gangway is
basket that is fully compensated and windfarms but is equally suited to applications equipped with extremely fast sensors and
controlled by an operator. in the offshore oil and gas sector. control technology,” he said. “Because of
With an arm length of 10m and a basic The Netherlands-based companies this, the system is able to compensate for
footprint of 2,440mm x 2,440mm, it was also worked closely to create the motion wave heights of up to 3m, resulting in an

www.osjonline.com Offshore Support Journal | September 2017

16 | OFFSHORE ACCESS/WALK-TO-WORK
operating window that can be up to four
times higher than other available systems in
the market, making it truly unique.”
Uptime’s new, larger offshore access
system, the Uptime 30m active motion
compensated gangway, has what the
company says is “a totally new design”
that the company believes will be a “game
changer” in the offshore oil and gas and
offshore wind industries.
The walk-to-work system is being
offered with several different setups: on a
fixed pedestal, on an adjustable pedestal,
with elevator tower amidships or in the
centre of the vessel, as an add-on system
on existing elevator towers and on a skid.
“This gives optimal, customised workability
for different projects,” said Uptime. The
gangway will be operated from the
wheelhouse wing or from the gangway
itself. “Our Uptime 23.4m will still be
offered and may of course still be the best
option for some projects and setups,” the
company concluded.
Ampelmann and Uptime International
have both recently won contracts for their
walk-to-work solutions in the offshore
oil and gas and renewables markets.
Ampelmann secured a contract in
Venezuela that will spread the use of its
gangway technology into the Caribbean.
The Cardon IV group ordered an A-type
system for its operations on the Perla field
Van Oord’s installation vessel Aeolus has been fitted
with a telescopic access bridge from SMST
Offshore Support Journal | September 2017 www.osjonline.com
off Venezuela. The walk-to-work system
was deployed on Bumi Armada’s 2010-built
offshore support vessel Armada Tuah 85
to provide access for the workforce to the
Perla platform.
The A-type system is a full active
motion compensated access gangway,
designed to transfer personnel safely
and efficiently to offshore structures.
Cardon IV has chosen Ampelmann as its
partner in this long-term project for the
next two years, said Ampelmann business
development manager for Latin America
Andres Garcia.
Uptime International has won a
contract from Cemre Marin to deliver one
of its walk-to-work systems to a service
operation vessel that is being built at the
Cemre Shipyard in Turkey. The vessel is
being built for French vessel owner Louis
Dreyfus Armateurs for delivery in 2018.
The vessel will provide service support for
four offshore windfarms off the German
coast. These are the Borkum Riffgrund 1
and 2 and Gode Wind 1 and 2 windfarms
operated by Dong Energy.
The Uptime system will be an active
motion compensated gangway and an
adjustable pedestal integrated with an
elevator tower. The vessel was designed
by Salt Ship Design for personnel and
cargo transfer to these offshore windfarms
Van Oord’s installation vessel Aeolus
has been fitted with a telescopic access
bridge (TAB) by the Netherlands-based
SMST. The TAB-M includes a flat rack and
pedestal elevator system and will be used
for work at the Walney Extension offshore
windfarm in the UK.
After training by SMST, the crew of
Aeolus completed the first connection
on 24 June in significant wave heights
of 1m and wind speeds of 20m/s. The
Walney Extension project requires the
transition pieces to be installed in DP2
mode so needs a compensated gangway.
The telescopic pedestal will assist with
the high tide differences, enabling height
compensation of up to 6m.
Walk-to-work offers
owners better rates
than subsea market
The subsea vessel market is showing signs of
recovery, but a number of owners have long
been securing work for subsea vessels above
water, rather than below, by fitting them with
walk-to-work systems.
Broker Fearnley Offshore Supply AS
(FOSAS) said there has been significant
subsea vessel activity above the surface
and noted that active heave compensated
gangways have had an important impact on
the subsea vessel market as a whole.
In a July 2017 report, FOSAS said
high-end subsea vessels such as Boa Sub C,
Polar Queen, Normand Jarl, Normand Jarstein,
Acergy Viking, Edda Fauna and Stril Server
have been supporting topside work, either in
the offshore wind market or in the offshore
oil and gas segment.
“The trend is almost, if not quite without
exception, that most operators are securing
modern vessels, in part due to Special
Purpose Ship regulations and requirements
but also because vessel owners are attracted
to walk-to-work campaigns because they
typically offer longer charter periods and
slightly better margins than the current
subsea market,” said FOSAS.
“This trend has a positive impact on the
supply overhang for this segment albeit a
moderate one that, at best, is only part of
a solution. For short-term and spot subsea
scopes, however, the competition is fiercer and
the income potential is lower while the vessel
options are numerous. Rates reflect this.” OSJ
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MARINE CONSULTANT
LAUNCHES TRAINING
PROGRAMME FOR 500M ZONE
AN ABERDEEN, UK-BASED MARITIME SPECIALIST HAS LAUNCHED 500M ZONE
MANAGEMENT TRAINING COURSES TO ADDRESS CONCERNS RAISED AROUND
OFFSHORE INSTALLATION SAFETY ZONES
S
eacroft Marine
Consultants, which
provides advice and
assistance to offshore
operators in all aspects of
offshore marine operations,
is aiming to raise awareness
of the need to control marine
operations inside the 500m
zone as the UK Health &
Safety Executive (HSE)
highlights concerns around
the control and monitoring of
vessels attending installations.
With 97% of collisions
occurring within the 500m
zone involving vessels there
on legitimate business, the
company can offer guidance,
recommendations and training
courses on how to improve
existing practices and safety.
Michael Cowlam,
technical director at Seacroft
Marine Consultants, said
“Vessels colliding with a
platform have long been
considered a major risk
for offshore oil and gas
installations, and there has of
course always been a focus on
having procedures in place to
address this and try to avoid
it occurring.
“While collisions are
relatively rare occurrences,
there have been a number of
incidents in recent years that
www.osjonline.com Offshore Support Journal | September 2017
have led to increasing concern
from the UK Health & Safety
Executive and other industry
organisations about the
potential risks involved.
“Seacroft is able to advise
on the responsibilities of
an offshore installation’s
operator and provide training
to improve safety levels and
best practice. The industry
has also recently published
more robust guidance, which
would also make a difference
to all stakeholders and oil
companies to give assurance
against the risk of a major
catastrophic incident, loss of
production and costly damage
to their facilities.”
The safety zone is the area
extending 500m from any
part of an offshore oil and gas
installation and is established
automatically around all
installations that project above
the sea at any state of the tide.
Subsea installations may
also have safety zones to protect
them, which are created by
statutory instrument. They exist
to protect both the safety of
the people working on or in the
vicinity of the installation and
the installation itself.
Mr Cowlam added “The
completion of 500m zone
pre-entry check lists is only
SIMULATION &TRAINING | 19
Michael Cowlam: “vessels
colliding with a platform
have long been considered
a major risk for offshore oil
and gas installations”
the starting point and not
the solution to preventing
incidents. It is crucial to
consider monitoring and
auditing how installations are
managing their 500m zones
and marine operations.
“As well as this, planning
and communication is
essential, along with awareness
of both good and bad practices
by vessels. This is where we
can help, and we would urge
any company looking into this
aspect of their operations to
get in touch with us and find
out more.”
With a team of 15 staff
and more than 80 consultants,
the company has built its
reputation in the marine
assurance and consultancy
sphere. Its expertise includes
marine assurance packages,
inspections, dynamic
positioning (DP) assurance, rig
move services, International
Safety Management audits,
safety audits and incident
investigation as well as
simulator training in ship
handling and bridge team
management and specialist
recovery and rescue
consultancy services.
The company also recently
appointed a new marine
engineering and DP manager
as it looks to develop more
specialised offshore marine
projects. Richard Pearce has 16
years’ experience in engineering
and technical disciplines of the
marine and offshore industry,
including spells at some of
the sector’s most prominent
names. OSJ
20 | SIMULATION & TRAINING
Training centre sees increased
interest in bespoke courses
Well known for offering bespoke training in commercial diving and remotely
operated vehicle operations to a range of clients worldwide, The Underwater
Centre is winning business from an increasingly diverse client base
W
hen Haifa
University in
Israel acquired
a Seaeye
Leopard remotely operated
vehicle (ROV) recently, it
realised that it needed more
knowledge in maintaining and
operating the system and sent
four candidates to attend The
Underwater Centre’s ROV
pilot technician course. Part
of the course was delivered
at the training company’s Fort
William, Scotland, base and
part on site in Israel.
However, Haifa University
isn’t the only academic client
to have undertaken ROV
training with The Underwater
Centre in recent months. Staff
from the National Institute of
Ocean Technology in India
came to The Underwater
Centre in early 2017 for a
two-week bespoke ROV
operations course in order
to gain practical operational
experience of flying a work-
class ROV, which will be used
in their research work.
Limerick University in the
Republic of Ireland also asked
The Underwater Centre to
create and deliver a tailored
ROV operations course to
equip their academic team
with the skills they need to
operate and maintain their
recently purchased Comanche
and smaller observation-class
ROV. The bespoke training
Offshore Support Journal | September 2017 www.osjonline.com
NIOT ROV operators training at The Underwater Centre in Fort William
focused on specific operational
experience of using the launch
and recovery system and
tether management system on
the work-class ROV training
vessel at the centre’s Fort
William site and incorporated
use of the centre’s simulator.
As Steve Ham, commercial
director at The Underwater
Centre, explained, the content
and duration of courses it
offers aren’t limited in any
way. Clients can also choose
to have training delivered
at a home base if their
facilities are suitable. This
ensures that the training
is even more specifically
targeted to their needs and
equipment. Personnel from
The Underwater Centre
recently travelled to New
Zealand for a second time
to deliver the three-week
ROV pilot technician course
to candidates from the Royal
New Zealand Navy. As the
instructor was on hand at
their site, he was also able to
provide expert advice on the
ongoing maintenance of their
Seaeye Falcon system.
Mr Ham said that, with the
wide range of organisations
now investing in ROV
systems, the centre has been
attracting an increasingly
diverse client base.
Singapore’s SSE
Training Centre Pte Ltd
recently became the first
partner in another of The
Underwater Centre’s area
of expertise, diving, when
the UK centre announced
its new International
Training Establishment (ITE)
partnership scheme.
The scheme will allow
training centres around the
world to deliver internationally
recognised commercial diving
courses, accredited by ADAS.
This is the first time divers
have been able to train to
a top-calibre international
standard outside the standards
body’s home country.
“There are huge
opportunities in commercial
diving around the world,
but also risks – which is a
dangerous combination,” said
Mr Ham. “Too many divers are
dying because of insufficient
training. Partly this is down to
cost, but another important
barrier is the fact that divers
are unable to get the best
possible instruction because
of where they are in the world.
With the ITE scheme, we are
removing that barrier.
“The oil and gas industry is
just picking up from the bottom
of its cycle, and more projects
are coming online. The
offshore wind industry is taking
off, and decommissioning will
need a lot of divers too. There
are busier times ahead for the
sector, and the ITE scheme
will help divers around the
world be part of that while
maintaining the highest
standards of safety.”
The ITE partnership
scheme works by allowing
existing diver training
establishments to partner
with The Underwater Centre,
Tasmania, which has a unique
agreement in place with
ADAS allowing it to deliver
accredited training outside
Australia. OSJ
Annual Offshore
Support Journal
conference | awards | exhibition
6-8 February 2018, London

511
industry attendees

36%
shipowner/operator

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For details visit www.osjconference.com/exhibit

 For information and
advice contact:
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 LIFTING & HANDLING | 23

LIFTING SEMINAR
HIGHLIGHTS ADVANTAGES
– AND CHALLENGES – WITH FIBRE ROPES

RECENT YEARS HAVE SEEN

FIBRE ROPE STEADILY
DISPLACE STEEL WIRE FOR
OFFSHORE LIFTS, BUT THERE
IS A NEED FOR GREATER
STANDARDISATION,
HARMONISED TESTING AND
CERTIFICATION AND
IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING
OF REUSE AND RETIREMENT

Ever greater use is being made of fibre rope, such as here on the Hywind project, but there are technical issues that need to be addressed

E
ighty-five members and guests
attended the International
Marine Contractors Association’s
(IMCA’s) lifting and rigging
seminar, an event that, like earlier
workshops, focused on defining the issues
related to high-value subsea construction
ropes and on the performance slings and
grommets used for subsea construction.
The title – ‘Slings and rigging – the soft
revolution’ – indicated strongly the steady
move over the last four to five years from
wire to high-performance fibre-based
rigging. After a welcome and introduction
from the seminar chairman, there
followed a number of presentations and
workshops designed to review the status
and issues surrounding the use of fibre
rope technology.
Seaway Heavy Lifting’s principal
engineer Dirk-Jan Mattaar provided a
presentation on the company’s experience
in moving from steel to synthetic fibre
slings. “Why do we use them?” he asked.
“Because manual operation with fibre
rope slings is safer, faster and requires
fewer riggers. It only takes a few seconds
to attach. It saves an awful lot of time
when it comes to connecting slings
to hooks,” he explained. However, the
company hasn’t stopped using steel slings
altogether, primarily because of damage
on fibre slings, even though they are
highly cut-resistant.
“Proper sling protection is essential,” he
said, noting that the cost for fibre was still
higher than steel. Another concern about
fibre ropes is high-temperature operations.
When used in high temperatures in
some parts of the world, strength loss
due to high temperatures need to be
borne in mind, he said. Over time, in
high temperatures, the safety factor of
fibre rope can reduce. Other issues that
need to be addressed include the fact that
certification of fibre ropes has not yet
been standardised, guidance on inspection
and when to discard is not clear cut and

www.osjonline.com Offshore Support Journal | September 2017

24 | LIFTING & HANDLING

connection of steel slings to fibre slings
should not be undertaken due to internal
torques and twists.
IMCA Lifting and Rigging Committee
member Caspar Berends, who works
for TechnipFMC, gave a presentation
on engineering with fibre slings and the
challenges this can bring. This included
bending effects over crane hooks (especially
DIN hooks, which could damage both fibre
and wire slings), reuse of slings, load test
requirements and how to determine correct
skew factors.
Reuse of fibre slings had been
undertaken, he explained. However,
the company thought it wise to involve
the manufacturer for inspection before
reuse, especially after reconfiguration or
resplicing. Damage to protective jackets
can easily happen. This leads to questions
about whether it is possible or advisable to
undertake repairs on a vessel. “Clients could
be concerned with damage to protective
jackets. We needed guidance on how to deal
with this,” he said.
Mr Berends said fibre slings can be
beneficial for deck handling. Technically,
they are fit for purpose, but if they pick
up a lot of sand and grit when ashore at a
storage yard, damage could occur and fibre
rope could be deemed too high risk to use.
“We really want to use them, but this is a
challenge,” he said.
Jumbo’s project engineer Sita Verburg
and senior port engineer Dries Stommen
gave a presentation on issues involved with
complex rigging work during the lifting
and transportation of two 1,000 tonne pile
clusters. This required an asymmetrical
lift under different lifting configurations.
Another difficulty was that the single hook
became completely filled with rope. It was
important to ensure that the ropes did not
become crossed whilst on the hook.
Saipem UK’s chief operating officer
Vince McCarthy gave a presentation on
the use of fibre rope on Statoil’s Hywind
floating offshore wind project. This involved
lifting the upper structure of a wind
turbine (complete with blades attached)
and mounting it on a floating spar-type
foundation. The upper structures were lifted
from the bottom, so the lift was potentially
very unstable. He explained that contractor
Franklin Offshore had to manufacture
the slings to particularly tight tolerances,
and the slings were pre-stretched to bed
in splices against the actual load that they
would see. This was to ensure that the
variation in the lifting slings was acceptable.
This was important because, when the
turbine was lowered onto the spar, it would
sink by approximately 11m.
Samson’s application engineering
manager Justin Smoak noted that standards
for steel wire had evolved over many years.
Fibre rope has only been around and in
regular use for a few years. Fibre ropes
behave in the same way as steel, but there
are significant differences between fibre
ropes due to the use of differing materials
and weave. Under IMCA guidelines,
manufacturers are required to guarantee the
maximum breaking load (MBL) of a sling,
but Samson believes that the whole rope
needs to be broken, not just strands. Mr
Smoak discussed retirement considerations
and demonstrated Samson’s visual retirement
guide, which has been developed as a result
of many tests. Data-driven strength models
for fibre rope are important, he said, and can
provide assurance that they can be used at
the designed factor of safety and satisfy end-
user risk tolerance requirements.
Cortland’s business unit leader Luis Padilla
said it was important that the industry works
together to create standards to help the end
user. He noted that industry recertification
guidelines were weak. “Nothing beats a well
informed customer,” he told delegates. “There
is a need to build trust with the customers, and
customers need to know what to ask for and
define. Standardisation can help with this,”
Mr Padilla said.
Lankhorst’s project manager Rui Pedro
Faria said realistic load testing that looked
at each part of a subsea lift was important.
Realistic testing could help justify the use
of lower safety factors, he said, noting that
the company is working with DNV GL on
technology qualification for both new and
used slings.
Bridon-Bekaert’s fibre technology
manager Tim Hunter said that, for use and
reuse of fibre slings, it was important to get
the original specification right. “Knowing the
retirement point is critical,” he said, “[but]
some users give it a lot of attention in the
specification, others very little.” The lack of
standardisation described by other speakers
is apparent in testing, which means that
interpretation of results is being performed
in different ways – even down to MBL and
how it is defined. “The biggest challenge
in the industry is certification,” he said.
“Standardisation is not a set of laws, it’s about
consensus in the industry,” he concluded.

Rolls-Royce to deliver world’s first hybrid subsea crane

Rolls-Royce has been contracted by Brazilian shipowner CBO to
equip a platform supply vessel with the first example of its patented
dual draglink subsea crane. The crane will be the first subsea crane
designed to use either fibre or steel wire rope.
The hybrid dual draglink crane will be installed on CBO
Manoella, which is currently being modified from a platform supply
vessel (PSV) to a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) support vessel.
The active heave compensated crane is designed for continuous
operation in a tough and corrosive offshore environment with a
focus on efficient and safe load handling.
The crane to be installed on CBO Manoella is a hybrid dual
draglink crane with a lifting capacity of up to 50 tonnes and an
operating depth of up to 3,000m. It will be equipped with wire rope
when it embarks on its first subsea assignment off the coast of
Brazil. However, the possibility of changing to fibre rope provides
flexibility in a challenging market.
Because of the low weight of the fibre rope, the vessel’s deck
load capacity can be increased by approximately 100 tonnes.
Another benefit of using a low-weight fibre rope instead of steel
wire is increased lifting capacity at large depths. The cable traction
control unit (CTCU) forms the crane winch and is located at the
main boom. This solution saves space compared to a solution
where the CTCU is mounted below deck and also makes it a
better choice for retrofits. The horizontal elbow derrick movements
provide active heave compensation. This significantly reduces
wear and build-up of heat in the lifting line compared to when the
active heave compensation system is part of the winch.
Delivery of the crane was due to take place in Q3 this year. The
scope of supply includes a complete dual draglink crane system
including the CTCU, cabin and control system. OSJ

Offshore Support Journal | September 2017 www.osjonline.com

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26 | WELL INTERVENTION VESSELS

WELL INTERVENTION
– A BAD NAME FOR A GOOD ACTIVITY?

WHETHER A RIG OR A VESSEL IS USED, they are almost all associated with remedial action. Something
noticeable has happened or is happening, and this forces the
COULD WELL INTERVENTION DO A expenditure decision. Leading activities at present include
LOT MORE TO MAXIMISE ECONOMIC mechanical repair (such as valve repair, choke change-out or seal
RECOVERY ASKS ANDREW PATERSON, failure) and relatively little in the way of true proactive well servicing,
be it data acquisition or performance-related wireline or coiled
MANAGING PARTNER, OFS PARTNERS tubing interventions (zone isolation, scale squeeze and stimulations).
Instead, if we were to think creatively about all of the proactive
production enhancement measures that could be undertaken on
a field-wide basis, we might be able to find reasons to justify a

I
f you’re intervening, generally something’s wrong and it’s only
going to get worse unless you do something about it. Is there
something in the very name and nature of well intervention
that is undermining its true potential in the North Sea and the
wider global market? Let’s explore why interventions typically take
place, what is done and what could be done differently.
If we look at a list of specific triggers for well intervention activity,
different set of activities at different times in the life of the field.
Here, the decision would be to invest and grow to improve and
achieve excellence rather than spend money only to solve a
problem – stimulated by the pressure of being branded reckless
for doing nothing. We are currently a little too focused on
‘catastrophe aversion’ instead of thinking in terms of ‘proactive
production enhancement’, that is, reaction, rather than action.
For a well known global operator, the average lifting cost per

Those who want the full well control capability

might want a rig, for others, monohulls can be
a less expensive, nimbler solution

Offshore Support Journal | September 2017 www.osjonline.com


barrel across the portfolio sits at around US$30. When there is
already enough evidence to suggest incremental barrels brought
on stream as a result of well intervention activity sit at around US$5
or less, the argument should be compelling to undertake well
servicing and proactive performance measures more frequently.
The reasons for not doing this are numerous and partly due to
a shareholder emphasis on new fields and discoveries above and
beyond what could be dismissed as less than newsworthy tinkering
on older well stock. However, as the British cycling team proved,
a lot of small tinkering can sum up to great gains overall. Can we
apply the same ‘marginal gains’ logic across a field and portfolio of
producing assets? The result would then be an emphasis on overall
performance improvement rather than star results of individual fields
or new discoveries boosting production.
There is a dated argument that says any given intervention on
a specific well is no more than 50% likely to succeed. While it is
certainly true that not all given intervention activities are guaranteed
to succeed, conditions downhole being so complex and variable, it
still isn’t fair to judge the merit of interventions on a well-by-well basis.
Building the business case for a given campaign is often based on a
remediation, as already described. However, if we expand the picture
to a whole field basis, it becomes possible to design and justify a
proactive programme across multiple wells over a longer timeframe
that dramatically increases the chances of a favourable return.
Where given actions on specific wells don’t succeed, a capable
contractor can use the well access to log, survey and sample such
that the programme is dynamic and adapted accordingly based on
the new information coming out of the experience. Put simply, if at
first you don’t succeed, use the data acquired to perfect the action
and location, ever increasing success rates, and try, try again.
Fundamentally, the opportunity for supply chain companies is
there. However, this opportunity will not be realised if development
is undertaken in isolation. The reactive approach so often seen in
the past is not fit for purpose in the current climate.
To turn talk into RFQs, any investment or development needs to
be anchored to the specific needs of a given operator or range of
operators. There needs to be a very careful assessment of operator
needs against company capability, and when that’s done, the decision
of who to invest in a relationship with for both parties becomes easier.
There is no ‘slam dunk’ technique or technology or even light or
heavy vessel solution for well intervention out there. Winners and
losers will be separated based on the strength of the relationships
that can be established, the level of understanding of the situation
www.osjonline.com Offshore Support Journal | September 2017
WELL INTERVENTION VESSELS | 27
New offerings have come to market, such as
Halliburton, Trendsetter and C-Innovation’s plan to
use Island Venture to provide intervention services
and evidence base for the solution as well as the quality of support
that can be given to drive the business case within the operator, on
behalf of the direct contact.
There are plenty of ideas as well as plenty of early stage but
proven techniques that make the efficiency and effectiveness
of well intervention operations all the greater. Some methods
– and vessel solutions – are somewhat predicated on a highly
active drilling market, meaning using a heavy drilling asset (a full
capability semi-sub or jack-up) is so expensive that it creates an
incentive to explore a lighter alternative (a monohull dedicated well
intervention vessel).
While that incentive may have been reduced in this lower-for-
longer oil price environment, there are still benefits to be found in
using nimbler alternatives. For those who will always want the full
well control capability of a rig, the technology is there to enable
interventions cheaper than ever. In the current market, general
cash constraints make the case for doing anything a big challenge,
so the main focus needs to be proving the case for doing anything
at all, by any means, according to alignment with the operators’
needs and preferences.
Across the whole oil field services value chain, there are many
repeating principles that work in terms of winning work. One is
hassle reduction and reducing interfaces. Another is security of
supply – offering something no one else has at a given moment
in time. Finally, perhaps the most compelling of them all is offering
a net saving proposition. Somehow, what you are doing saves
measurably more money elsewhere – thus creating a very happy
client and reducing the focus and scrutiny on your own margin.
For well intervention, some of these dynamics apply – bringing
together multiple services would be of perceived value and proving
the case for doing the work in the first place against not doing it or
waiting (the net saving angle) would be the leading principles.
So in summary, this intervention is twofold: firstly, to raise the
profile and perceived value for proactive programmes of well
interventions such that there is as much pull from operators to
consider these as there is push from the supply chain to offer them,
and secondly, to realise the benefits of actually doing the work,
bringing the incremental barrels on stream and conducting late-life
operations in the most efficient way possible.
When we can see proactive diagnostic interventions directly
driving actual well performance improvement work on an industry-
wide basis, we will know the market is finally coming to maturity
and the efforts of all to intervene have been successful. OSJ
 Asian
Offshore Support
Journal conference
20-21 September 2017, Singapore

Planning for both short-term challenges and

then recovery in the Asian OSV market
Asian Offshore Support Journal Conference is the region’s largest and most influential event focused on the offshore
support industry. It is the must-attend annual get-together for shipowners, shipbuilders, charterers and suppliers.
This year, its focus will be on the prospects for a market recovery, the financial outlook, industry restructuring, vessel
reactivation, improving efficiency to reduce costs and ensuring that crew remain ready for the next upturn in demand.

As the market recovers Asian owners are beginning to exploit new opportunities and expand into new regions.
Companies such as Vallianz are doing especially well in the Middle East, where long-term contracts are helping them
to win business and make a profit. Pacific Radiance says utilisation is increasing; newcomers such as Tasik Subsea
have secured long-term contracts; and Singapore’s government continues to provide help to the industry.
To find out how you can find new business, and where the opportunities are, attend the Asian Offshore Support
Journal Conference, 20-21 September 2017, Singapore.

2017 key topics:

• Responding to oil companies’ requirements in a post downturn world: what will the oil companies
want from OSV owners in 2018-19?
• Is the Asian model of owning and building vessels still valid?
• Improving efficiency and reducing costs: what works and what doesn’t?
• Monitoring the condition of laid up vessels and how to minimise the cost of layups
• When to reactivate a vessel from layup, the methodology and costs
• The south east Asian market by country: how do the requirements of each country/oil major differ?
• Global opportunities for Asian owners, where to invest in marketing and which regions offer the best prospects
• Singapore’s government support package: what does it mean to the OSV industry?
– How can it be accessed and who can apply?
• Financial re-profiling and improving liquidity: what are the available options?
• Should owners divest shipbuilding/repair facilities or are they beneficial in a downturn?

Book now!
Book your place online today or by contacting Kym Tan on +65 6809 3098 or at kym.tan@rivieramm.com

www.offshoresupportasia.com
 Book now at
www.offshoresupportasia.com

Key speakers: Gold sponsors

Hyde
GOLD
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BALLAST WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM

James W. Noe Thomas Tan

Chief Executive Offshore Executive Chairman and CEO
CH Offshore Kim Heng Offshore Marine Holdings Ltd
Silver sponsors

Leong Seng Keat Venkatraman Sheshashayee

CEO CEO
Nam Cheong Miclyn Express Offshore

Official publication

Organised by
Sugiman Layanto Thom Payne
President Director Director
Wintermar Offshore Marine Group Westwood Global Energy Group
 OFFSHORE

FCS 7011: INTEGRATED CREW

CHANGE SOLUTION

TA K I N G FA S T C R E W V E S S E L S T O A N E X T L E V E L

The FCS 7011 brings a new long-distance class capable of servicing large platforms
over 100 nautical miles from port. Its size and capacity will enable it to exchange large
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Digital platform connects
charterers directly with owners
OSVfinder, a web application that enables vessels to be located and chartered without the use of
intermediaries, took an important step forward early in 2017 when Saipem began using it
D
eveloped by
former broker
Rémy Ausset,
OSVfinder
combines the ability to
locate ships anywhere in
the world with an advanced
search engine and internal
communications system that,
Mr Ausset believes, will make
chartering simpler, faster and
less expensive.
Speaking to OSJ in early
August, Mr Ausset said the new
company already has more
than 70 shipowners registered
to use it and a database of
more than 110,000 vessels.
Mr Ausset says many
leading vessel owners in the
offshore support vessel market
– including Bourbon, Tidewater,
Solstad, Boskalis, Seacor,
Swire and Smit Lamnalco – are
registered with OSVfinder.
“The concept behind
OSVfinder is quite simple, but
revolutionary too,” Mr Ausset
said. “We provide charterers
with the location of a vessel
and its particulars. They can
see the location of a suitable
vessel in a region and can
send an enquiry through
OSVfinder direct to the owner.
Shipowners can track the
position of the vessels and
indicate availability. Once
they have established contact
through the platform, an owner
can send an offer through it.
The application also generates
market reports with statistics
based on customer activity.”
www.osjonline.com Offshore Support Journal | September 2017
The service provided
by OSVfinder is accessible
anywhere in the world. It only
requires an internet connection
to be able to connect and use
the application.
OSVfinder’s goal is to
modernise the offshore oil
and gas industry by offering
a digital service that creates
a new working environment
that saves time and reduces
charterers’ and shipowners’
costs. Rather than a system
of fees of the type that
companies are used to paying,
Mr Ausset’s company is
subscription based. There is
no commission involved.
Mr Ausset said that,
although Saipem already had
its own platform that it used
when contracting support
vessels, it recognised the
OSVfinder puts charterers and vessel owners in touch with
one another directly, saving time and reducing costs
advantages of OSVfinder. It
started trialling the system in
February to find out if it really
could meet its needs and
invited the owners with whom
it already worked to register.
Since then, it has been
sending out tenders through
OSVfinder. “Leading players
in the market have been
responding to the tenders
they have issued through
OSVfinder, and we are now
talking to Saipem about how
many licences they might
need,” said Mr Ausset. Other
engineering, procurement,
contracting and installation
(EPCI) companies have also
been following the progress
of the system. Mr Ausset says
he recognises that the way
that charterers work may
differ a little from company
INNOVATIONS | 31
to company and that it would
be possible, to an extent, to
customise the web application
to meet their needs.
As the platform has
developed, so new features
have and will be added. These
include flag state and local
contents requirements and the
compliance requirements of
EPCI companies, national oil
companies and independent
oil companies. It is also
possible to add important
data such as when a vessel
last went through an OVID
(Offshore Vessel Inspection
Database) inspection, and
where a cabotage regime
applies, the system can tell a
charterer whether a vessel is
compliant, such as with the
requirements of the Jones
Act in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr
Ausset said the company
also plans to add market
reports to OSVfinder so that
charterers can track day rates
in a region. In due course, he
says, OSVfinder might be able
to provide charterers with the
ability to share assets and
further reduce costs.
“What I would say to
charterers is that using
OSVfinder will be less
expensive than using your own
system,” Mr Ausset concluded.
“There will be no commission
payable to brokers, and
charterers will have a much
greater level of control over
the offers they receive and
how they receive them.” OSJ
32 | IMCA NEWS
IMCA ACTIVELY CONTRIBUTING
TO DEBATE AT IMO
T
he International
Marine Contractors
Association
(IMCA) has long
had consultative status as
an active non-governmental
organisation at the International
Maritime Organization (IMO). It
attends the plenary sessions
and participates in various
committee meetings, as the
following update demonstrates,
and uses the combined
expertise of IMCA members to
contribute to IMO’s work.
“We actively participated in
the Intersessional Working Group
on Reduction of Greenhouse
Gases (GHG) Emissions from
Ships, which met in July to
issue a report in relation to
the elements set out in IMO’s
Roadmap for developing a
comprehensive strategy on
GHG emission reduction from
ships,” Allen Leatt, IMCA’s chief
executive, explained.
“An initial IMO GHG
strategy is set to be adopted
at MEPC 72 (the 72nd meeting
of the Marine Environment
Protection Committee) in
spring 2018, including a list
of short-term, mid-term and
long-term further measures and
timeframes. IMCA concurred
with the joint proposal by
four other international trade
associations (Bimco, Intercargo,
the International Chamber
of Shipping and Intertanko)
concerning ambitious CO2
reductions by the international
shipping sector.
“In July 2017, MEPC 71
continued the solid work
the IMO has undertaken to
address GHG emissions from
international shipping, aligning
Offshore Support Journal | September 2017 www.osjonline.com
the sector’s response to the
2015 Paris Agreement’s call
for ambitious contributions to
combat climate change. IMCA
believes it is important for IMO
to send a clear, unambiguous
signal to the global community
that shipping’s regulators
have reached consensus on
objectives for reducing the
sector’s CO2 emissions, just as
land-based activity is covered
by government commitments
under the Paris Agreement.
“During MEPC 71 sessions,
the majority of industry
stakeholders (including IMCA)
expressed their view that IMO
remain in control of additional
measures to address CO2
reduction by international
shipping and develop a global
solution rather than risk the
danger of market-distorting
measures at national or
regional level.”
IMO secretary general
Kitack Lim expressed his
views on the climate change
challenge in an interview that
appears in IMCA’s Making
Waves. “You could say that
the greatest challenge is to
reach consensus on major
Allen Leatt: “IMCA
is involved in several
aspects of the IMO’s
work programme”
issues, such as climate
change. Balancing the needs
of all member states, while
also uniting them behind the
common goals, is a theme
which really underlines my
concept of a voyage together.”*
Energy efficiency design
index (EEDI) standards for
new ships and associated
operational energy efficiency
measures for existing ships
became mandatory in 2013,
with the entry into force
of relevant amendments
to MARPOL Annex VI. The
committee was informed that
nearly 2,500 new ocean-going
ships have been certified as
complying with the standards.
Minimum propulsion
power to maintain the
manoeuvrability of ships in
adverse conditions, EEDI
correction factors for ice-class
ships and EEDI reduction
factors for existing ships
that have undergone major
conversions were among the
relevant technical proposals
considered by MEPC 71.
MARPOL amendments
adopted at MEPC 70 at IMO
to make the data collection
system mandatory for fuel
oil consumption of ships are
expected to enter into force
on 1 March 2018, requiring
data collection to start from
calendar year 2019.
MEPC 71 considered draft
guidelines on administration
data verification procedures
and on the development
and management of the IMO
Ship Fuel Oil Consumption
Database, developed by
a correspondence group,
as well as technical and
security issues related to the
establishment of the database.
“IMCA invited the committee
to examine the challenges of
attempting to define ‘transport
work’ proxies for offshore and
marine construction vessels,
which are required at the stage
of data analysis,” Mr Leatt
explained. “IMCA’s submission
provided information on the
difficulty of defining relevant
and appropriate proxies for
‘transport work’ for offshore
and marine construction
vessels and recommended the
development of the proxies for
such vessels should be put
into abeyance.
“An overwhelming number
of delegations recognised
the technical challenges
the proxies posed. Others
expressed the view that
special attention should be
paid during the data analysis
stage since misleading
conclusions may be drawn in
the absence of appropriate
energy efficiency indicators.”
*The full interview is
available at www.imca-int.
com/news/2017/06/19/making-
waves-83-june-2017/ OSJ
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Take advantage of the Maritime Technology Knowledge Bank.

• A unique, free to access resource for the global shipping industry

• Access whitepapers and technical documentation covering every
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BEST OF THE WEB osjonline.com

New credit helps Hornbeck but search Boskalis said to

for long-term solution continues
Hornbeck Offshore’s financial situation
remains challenging in the medium-term
despite it having secured a new credit
facility. Announcing its Q2 results, Hornbeck
said that although it has sufficient cash
to continue operations through 2019 it
remains unable to make payments on its
Senior Notes that are due in 2020 and 2021
respectively. The company first highlighted
the issue several months ago.
The company projects that, even with
the currently depressed operating levels,
cash generated from operations together
with cash on hand and availability under
the new credit facility should be sufficient
to fund its operations and commitments at
least until 31 December 2019.
“However,” said Hornbeck, “absent a
significant recovery of market conditions
such that cash flow from operations were
to increase materially from projected levels
and/or further management of its funded
debt obligations, the company does not
currently expect to have sufficient liquidity
to repay the full amount of its 5.875% Senior
Notes and 5.000% Senior Notes as they
mature in fiscal years 2020 and 2021.”
Hornbeck described the new credit
facility as the “first step” in addressing the
maturities of its unsecured notes, but said it
remains “fully cognizant” of the challenges
currently facing the offshore oil and gas
industry and continues to review its capital
structure and assess its strategic options.
http://bit.ly/2v2iXr8
be stalking Bibby
Offshore assets
Industry sources say Boskalis in the
Netherlands is ‘negotiating directly’ with
the Bibby Offshore’s bondholders to
acquire certain assets of the company.
Boskalis’ proposal is said to value
UK-based Bibby Offshore at around
£52M, a sum for which it would acquire
the dive support vessels (DSVs)
Bibby Sapphire and Bibby Polaris and
intellectual property.
Other companies who might have
a potential interest in Bibby Offshore
include McDermott in the US and
DeepOcean in Norway. Private equity
houses are also understood to have
been looking at a deal and have held
discussions with bondholders.

http://bit.ly/2fvfzBj

Dragon deal sees Topaz

backlog exceed US$1.5Bn
Tidewater emerges
Offshore support vessel company Topaz Energy & Marine has been awarded a US$100M
contract by Dragon Oil that has boosted its backlog to what it claims is an industry leading level. from bankruptcy
Under the terms of the contract, Topaz will supply Dragon Oil Turkmenistan with six
vessels, including five anchor handlers and an emergency recovery and response vessel.
with growth in mind
The contract has already commenced, with vessel mobilisation and operation under way.
The contract has a five-year term with a two-year option and brings Topaz’s backlog to Tidewater and its affiliated Chapter 11
more than US$1.5Bn. debtors have emerged from bankruptcy
proceedings after successfully
http://bit.ly/OSJTopaz completing a reorganisation process.
The reorganisation was completed
pursuant to the second amended
To view more whitepapers visit the
Knowledge Bank at www.osjonline.com joint pre-packaged Chapter 11 plan
of reorganisation of Tidewater and
To upload a whitepaper to the its affiliated debtors. The plan was
Knowledge Bank, confirmed on 17 July 2017 by the
www.osjonline.com/s/knowledgebank please email Steve Edwards at
steve.edwards@rivieramm.com US Bankruptcy Court for the District
of Delaware.
Editor’s selection: Editor’s comment: Tidewater has eliminated
approximately US$1.6Bn in principal
Rather than hammering a monopile into outstanding debt, and is considering
Environmental pile driving the ground, the Blue Hammer concept
with the Blue Hammer developed by Fistuca uses acceleration of
the rejection of certain sale-leaseback
a water column by a gas mixture to provide agreements, it estimates that interest
Noise mitigation during pile driving has long the driving force – a mechanism that can and operating lease expenses will
been an issue in the offshore wind industry, as deliver a large amount of energy without be reduced by approximately
has the growing size of monopiles. The Blue exciting undue vibration in a monopile.
Hammer departs from convention and could The concept is also much quieter than
US$73M annually.
provide a solution. conventional pile driving technology.
http://bit.ly/2vdqjKO

www.osjonline.com Offshore Support Journal | September 2017

36 | MARKET DATA

Statistics & trends

Compiled using data and graphs provided by Seabrokers’ monthly market report Seabreeze

NORTH SEA DEPARTURES NORTH SEA AVERAGE RATES: JUNE 2017

AND ARRIVALS AVERAGE AVERAGE
DEPARTURES: Vessels that have recently left CATEGORY RATE RATE % CHANGE
or are due to leave the North Sea spot market JUNE 2017 JUNE 2016

Alp Forward Central America supply duties

£5,452 £10,051 -46%
Normand Skude Russia PSVs <900m2

Olympic Orion Russia supply duties

£5,684 £11,365 -50%
Olympic Zeus Russia PSVs >900m2
Pacific Leader West Africa supply duties
£8,036 £21,150 -62%
Pacific Legend West Africa AHTS <18,000 bhp
Sayan Princess Russia supply duties
Vestland Artemis Russia £14,237 £23,088 -38%
AHTS >18,000 bhp

ARRIVALS: Vessels that have recently

arrived or are due to arrive on the
North Sea spot market

Maersk Laser Ex Canada

Maersk Lifter Ex Canada
Pacific Duchess Ex West Africa
Skandi Saigon Ex Mediterranean
Union Lynx Ex West Africa

NORTH SEA SPOT AVERAGE NORTH SEA AVERAGE RATES: JUNE 2017
UTILISATION: JUNE 2017
CATEGORY MINIMUM MAXIMUM
MED LARGE MED LARGE
MONTH
PSV PSV AHTS AHTS supply duties
£3,500 £13,425
PSVs <900m2
Jun 2017 69% 77% 49% 61%
supply duties
May 2017 67% 75% 50% 47% £3,694 £13,500
PSVs >900m2
Apr 2017 67% 86% 54% 65%
supply duties
Mar 2017 69% 87% 65% 78% £5,500 £12,500
AHTS <18,000 bhp
Feb 2017 78% 82% 30% 53%
supply duties
£6,000 £46,185
Jan 2017 73% 77% 22% 59% AHTS >18,000 bhp

OSVs RECENTLY DELIVERED

VESSEL DESIGN OWNER/MANAGER COMMITMENT

Alp Defender Ulstein SX-157 AHT Alp Maritime Services TBC

Bram Force 220T BP AHTS Bram Offshore/Edison Chouest Offshore South America
Stepan Makarov Icebreaking ERRV Sovcomflot Russia
VOS Grace 60M ERRV Vroon North Sea

Offshore Support Journal | September 2017 www.osjonline.com

 MARKET DATA | 37

LEFT: anchor handler

DAILY AVAILABILITY: JUNE 2017 availability fell steeply in mid
June but rose again afterwards
PSV 2017 PSV 2016 AHTS 2017 AHTS 2016
24
22 BELOW LEFT: the oil price
remained in the US$50/barrel
20
price range for much of June
18 and July
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

OIL PRICE VERSUS RIG UTILISATION

100% $60

90% $55
$54.89 $55.49
$54.07
$53.06
78.4% $51.97
80% 75.1% 77.6% 76.8% 76.0% 75.6%
$50.87 $50
74.3% 74.8% 74.4% 74.3% 74.2% 73.5%
73.3%
$48.48 $49.73
70% $46.14 $46.19 $46.44 $47.65
$45
$45.07

66.3%
60% 64.6% $40
60.5%
57.4% 57.7%
55.0% 54.6%
50% 51.6% 52.3% 53.3% 53.0%
51.5% 52.7% $35

40% 36.8% 36.0% 35.4% 35.1% 35.2% 35.1%

33.9% 35.1% $30
33.4% 32.8% 33.4%
31.7% 30.6%

30% $25
Jun16 Jul16 Aug16 Sep16 Oct16 Nov16 Dec16 Jan17 Feb17 Mar17 Apr17 May17 Jun17

average Brent Crude US$/Bbl Northwest Europe rig utilisation

South America rig utilisation US Gulf rig utilisation

NORTH SEA AVERAGE ANNUAL SPOT RATES: JUNE 2017

£25,000
2017
2016 £22,688
£20,000
£19,734
£17,939

£15,000 £16,000

£10,000

£6,627 £6,404
£5,000 £5,998
£5,397

£0
PSVs <900m2 PSVs >900m2 AHTS <22,000 bhp AHTS >22,000 bhp

www.osjonline.com Offshore Support Journal | September 2017

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 MARKET DATA | 39

Offshore vessel values

July 2017
The table on page 40 shows the monthly percentage change in value for offshore support vessels,
by year of build, from 1 July to 31 July 2017.

Values have remained stable in the anchor-handling tug supply/anchor-handling tug and platform
supply vessel sector this month.

PSVs Armada Tuah Satu (5,200 bhp, December 2006, Nam Cheong) was
Values remained stable. sold by Bumi Armada Berhad to an undisclosed buyer.
Selat Hope (4,960 bhp, July 2003, Nam Cheong) and Swissco
There were no PSV sales this month. Opal (3,200 bhp, November 2013, Xin Yue Feng) were sold as part
of a larger en bloc deal to Selat Marine Services from Swissco.
AHTS Asso Ventitre (16,800 bhp, November 2000, Orskov) were sold by
AHTS and AHT values remained stable Augusta Offshore to World Carrier.
10 AHTS/AHTS sales were concluded in July. Shergar (5,150 bhp, August 2009, Jiangsu Zhenjiang) was sold to
Stril Commander and Stril Challenger (16,300 bhp, January/June an unnamed UK buyer by Global Offshore Services
2009, Havyard Leirvik) were acquired by Siem Offshore for US$8.25 DJM Fortune (4,750 bhp, May 2004, Yuexin Shipbuilding Co) was
million each compared with VesselsValue’s value of US$8.57 million bought by a Vietnamese buyer from MMA Offshore.
and US$8.94 million respectively.
Armada Tuah 20 and Armada Tuah 22 (5,000 bhp, September 2004/
July 2005, Nam Cheong) were sold to an unspecified US buyer. Source: VesselsValue.com

TOTAL VALUE OF SECONDHAND

SALES IN JULY 2017 VS 2016

S&P US$M July 2017

July 2016

US$470
Bulker Tanker Cont

US$400

US$220

US$1,098
US$193
ainer

US$38
US$35 • Tanker transaction values are 5 times lower this July 2017
Gas

US$72 compared to last July 2016.

US$17
• Value of Containers sales are considerably higher in July 2017
OSV

US$15
compared to July 2016 with Panamax and Sub Panamax containers
being the most sold vessels.
• Only 1 Gas vessel sale price was disclosed.
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 • 10 OSV sales took place, with only two prices disclosed.
Value (US$M)

www.osjonline.com Offshore Support Journal | September 2017

40 | MARKET DATA

OFFSHORE VALUES PERCENTAGE CHANGE/1,000s OF DOLLARS: JULY 2017

LARGE MEDIUM SMALL SUPER MEDIUM SMALL

BUILT
PSV PSV PSV AHTS AHTS AHTS

2.9% 4.1% 5.5% 1.0% 3.4% 3.7%

2017
5.2k 3.6k 1.7k 24k 8.2k 5.5k

2.7% 3.9% 5.0% 0.9% 2.9% 3.4%

2016
5.2k 3.6k 1.7k 24k 8k 5.2k

2.4% 3.5% 4.9% 0.9% 2.5% 3.0%

2015
5.2k 3.6k 1.7k 24k 8k 5.2k

2.0% 3.3% 4.4% 0.9% 2.1% 2.3%

2014
5.2k 3.4k 1.7k 24k 8k 5.2k

1.6% 2.8% 3.7% 0.8% 1.5% 2.0%

2013
5.1k 3.3k 1.7k 24k 8k 5.2k

1.2% 2.3% 3.3% 0.9% 1.2% 1.9%

2012
4.8k 3.3k 1.7k 24k 8k 5.2k

0.8% 1.7% 2.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1.5%

2011
4.8k 3.3k 1.6k 24k 8k 5.2k

0.4% 1.5% 2.5% 0.9% 1.1% 1.4%

2010
4.8k 3.3k 1.6k 24k 8k 5.1k

0.2% 1.2% 2.4% 0.9% 0.8% 1.0%

2009
4.8k 3.3k 1.6k 24k 8k 5.1k

0.2% 1.4% 2.4% 1.0% 1.1% 1.4%

2008
4.8k 3.3k 1.6k 24k 8k 5.1k

0.4% 1.4% 2.7% 1.0% 0.0% 2.0%

2007
4.8k 3.3k 1.6k 24k 8k 5.1k

0.7% 1.8% 2.6% 0.9% 2.1% 0.0%

2006
4.8k 3.3k 1.6k 24k 8k 5.1k

1.3% 2.4% 3.0% 0.9% 2.9% 0.0%

2005
4.8k 3.3k 1.6k 24k 8k 5k

2.2% 3.1% 4.3% 0.8% 3.9% 0.0%

2004
4.8k 3.3k 1.6k 24k 8k 5k

3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 0.9% 5.0% 0.0%

2003
4.8k 3.3k 1.6k 24k 8k 5k

4.2% 5.2% 5.9% 0.8% 6.3% 8.3%

2002
4.7k 3.3k 1.6k 24k 8k 5k

Offshore Support Journal | September 2017 www.osjonline.com

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