Vessel Services News

Eneti, a company providing offshore wind installation vessel services, said Tuesday its subsidiary Seajacks had signed a contract with an undisclosed client to transport and install wind turbines.With mobilization starting in the second quarter of 2027, the contract will be performed by one of the company’s two NG16000X Wind Turbine Installation Vessels currently under construction at Hanwha Ocean (ex-Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering) in South Korea. Including mobilization and demobilization…

U.S. offshore vessel owner Hornbeck Offshore Services, best known for its offshore oil and gas support vessel services, is looking at business opportunities in the growing U.S. offshore wind sector as well as in offshore accommodation services in the oil and gas area.For that, Covington, La. based Hornbeck Offshore said Wednesday it had contracted Eastern Shipbuilding Group to convert one of its recently acquired 280-foot offshore supply vessels (OSV) to a service operation vessel (SOV) to meet the growing demand of the U.S.

Tallinna Sadam subsidiary TS Shipping has signed an agreement securing summer work for its multifunctional icebreaker Botnica with Equinor in the U.K.The 40-day charter agreement, which includes a 10-day extension option, will start from June 5 and will see Botnica provide auxiliary vessel services towards Equinor’s operational offshore wind farms in the U.K., including transport and accommodation of the maintenance team as well as providing motion-compensated walk-to-work gangway and crane operations.Under a 10-year agreement with the Estonian Transport Administration, Botnica provides icebreaking services in Estonian coastal waters from December 20 to April 20.

A.P. Møller Holding A/S has acquired offshore vessel services firm Maersk Supply Service A/S from A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S, through the closing of the previously announced transaction.In connection with the closing of this acquisition, A.P. Moller Holding has elected a new CEO and Board of Directors for Maersk Supply Service A/S. Christian M. Ingerslev will take over the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position from Steen S. Karstensen, who has been at the helm of Maersk Supply Service since 2016.

A new, first-of-its-kind ferry that runs on liquid hydrogen has entered service for Norwegian operator Norled, breaking new ground for cleaner vessel operations.The 80-car ferry MF Hydra in recent weeks has been undergoing tests and sea trials, officially entering service with approval from the Norwegian Maritime Authority on March 31. The vessel services a triangular route between Hjelmeland, Skipavik and Nesvik in Norway, using 4 tonnes of liquid hydrogen, two 200 kW fuel cells, a 1.36—1.5 MWh battery, and two 440 kW diesel generators.

Purus Wind, an offshore wind vessel services firm, has ordered eight offshore wind vessels from the Dutch shipbuilder Damen.Under the order, Damen Shipyards will build and deliver four Damen Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 2710 Hybrid and three Damen FCS 3210 Hybrid Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) and one 90-meter Construction Service Operation Vessel (CSOV). While the FCS 3210s and the CSOV will be equipped for ultra-low emission operations, they have also been designed to be upgraded to methanol-fuelled engines when the time comes.

Crowley named Mark Coplen as vice president of project management for Crowley Wind Services, where he will be a key leader in advancing the company’s growth and market leadership in the offshore wind industry. In his role, Coplen will expand Crowley Wind Services’ project management capabilities to support customers in its offering of engineering, procurement and construction management for the offshore wind market. Coplen joins Crowley with extensive expertise in the sustainable energy sector leading offshore wind services…

Bourbon and Horizon Maritime have created a new joint venture that will offer marine services and operations in the North Sea and Canadian offshore markets.Incorporated in Norway, the new company is called Bourbon Horizon, and, according to a press release issued Thursday, it will become "a new leader in offshore operations in the harshest environments."It will be strategically positioned in Fosnavåg (Norway) and St. John’s (Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada), with a base fleet of "seven modern and capable offshore support vessels."The fleet includes five platform supply vessels…

French-based shipping group CMA CGM has completed its withdrawal from the Russian market by divesting stakes in terminals through an asset swap, the company said.“With this finalized transaction and the decision to suspend all new bookings to and from Russia since March 1st, 2022, the CMA CGM Group will no longer be involved in any entities operating in Russia,” it said in an emailed statement.The deal was concluded on Dec. 28, it said.CMA CGM inherited 25% stakes in four terminals in Russia and Finland through the acquisition of Finnish firm Containerships in 2018…

French offshore vessel services firm Bourbon has set up a new division dedicated to offshore wind called Bourbon Wind, which will support the group's ambition to become a major player in the entire value chain: pre-studies,  transport and installation services, field maintenance, floaters repair, and personnel transport. Bourbon Wind will coordinate all the group's activities in the offshore wind field, creating important cross-functional synergies:  Bourbon Subsea Services for development studies…

Neptune Energy on Wednesday announced the award of a £10 million three-year vessel services contract to Sentinel Marine, to provide offshore support for its operated Cygnus gas field in the U.K. southern North Sea.The contract, awarded following a competitive tendering process, will see Sentinel Marine continue to deploy its multi role, emergency response and rescue (MRERR) vessel Cygnus Sentinel on the gas field. The vessel will also support an upcoming drilling campaign on the Cygnus field.

Liberty Green Logistics LLC, (Lake Success, NY) formed an offshore wind supply chain consortium to provide "Factory to Farm" logistical support and integrated supply chain services to the U.S. offshore wind industry. The consortium is on a non-exclusive basis and available as a one stop shop for developers, OEM’s, and EPC contractors, providing services ranging across ports & terminals, vessels, and supply chain logistics. Since the inception in May 2021 Liberty Green has enrolled 17 consortium members…

Shane Guidry transformed Harvey Gulf from an inland and offshore towing vessel operator to a provider of offshore vessel services in the Gulf of Mexico and international oil and gas markets. Innovation initiatives he has spearheaded include, among others, leading the company to become the United States’ first owner and operator of liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered offshore support vessels, as well positioning the firm as the first LNG bunkering facility operator in the U.S.

ExxonMobil has awarded a long-term contract to offshore vessel owner DOF Subsea for the provisions of multi-purpose supply vessel services in Australia.The contract is for three years firm plus two one-year extension options. Under the contract, DOF will provide an MPSV to Esso Australia, an Australian Subsidiary of ExxonMobil."Preparatory support services associated with the contract are underway with the delivery of the vessel to follow later in 2022," DOF said.Mons S. Aase, CEO DOF ASA said: "This is our second long-term contract with Esso in Australia and a very important win for us.

U.S.-based offshore vessel owner Jackson Offshore Operators has acquired the M/V STORM platform supply vessel.Once it has completed regulatory requirements, the M/V STORM will start a five-year contract with Shell in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.Built in 2015, the M/V STORM is an MMC-879 design PSV, DP Class 2, and diesel-electric propulsion. It is 260 feet in length with a carrying capacity of 4,200 T DWT. The vessel is expected to go into service immediately upon completion of a special dry-docking survey. "We’re thrilled to add the M/V STORM to our fleet of platform supply vessels.

The first newbuild rigid inflatable boat (RIB) built by Dongara Marine has entered into service, heralding a raft of government and RIB contracts for the Western Australian boatbuilder.The newbuild, Cape Rose, was completed at the end of last year and has been operating for Marine Rescue Shark Bay since delivery to Denham in early in 2021. It has replaced a response vessel that had serviced the Western Australia (WA) coastline for more than 20 years, both with the group and previously…

Norwegian offshore vessel operator Island Offshore, mostly known for its offshore vessel services in the Norwegian oil and gas industry, has recently won a walk-to-work contract with Vattenfall in the offshore wind sector in Germany.Island Offshore said the contract was an important one and will see its vessel Island Diligence deployed at Vattenfall-operated DanTysk and Sandbank offshore wind farms in the German part of the North Sea.Island Diligence will provide accommodation and transfer of technicians via the vessel’s gangway solution, to the wind turbines.

There was important cruise news in January: Viking – a premier European ocean and river cruise company - will offer two new “destination-focused travel experiences,” starting in 2022. One set of cruises becomes Viking’s first foray in the inland North American market, in this case the Great Lakes. Another set of cruises will head to the Arctic and Antarctica. Viking is building two new vessels: the Viking Octantis and the Viking Polaris, under construction now in Norway, by Fincantieri’s VARD.In a press release Viking writes that it has created “the thinking person’s expedition.”  Indeed…

The members of THE Alliance, Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express, and Yang Ming have welcomed Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) as a new core member of THE Alliance.With the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) acceptance of HMM membership, THE Alliance offers an attractive upgraded product package and it will be launched around April 1st, 2020.Based on the existing comprehensive network of THE Alliance, the newly en-hanced product package will offer increasing frequency particularly from South East Asia, as well as new direct port coverage and improved transit times.Now that HMM joined The Alliance, its new offering for 2020 will consist of 33 services, 280 ships and a coverage of 78 ports globally.

The ferry business, unlike more industrial parts of the shipping business, touches wide swaths of the world’s population across continents. The membership of Interferry, the leading trade group for the industry, with non-Governmental organization (NGO) status at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) includes 200+ members from all parts of the ferry spectrum. These include passenger ferries (including fast ferries), Ro/Pax and cruise ferries operating globally. In selecting “the best” we looked beyond the league tables of “the most” (passengers) and “the biggest” (fleet size).

SEACOR Marine Holdings, the provider of marine and support transportation services to offshore oil, has announced the acquisition of UP Offshore (Bahamas)  by a new joint venture company that is 49% owned by a subsidiary of SEACOR Marine and 51% owned by a subsidiary of Proyectos Globales de Energía y Servicios CME.UP Offshore is a leading provider of offshore support vessel services to the energy industry in Brazil, the largest regional market in Latin America, said a press release.Of UP Offshore’s 14 vessel fleet, 12 vessels are located in Brazil and registered under the Brazilian flag. Nine are platform supply vessels, four are ROV…

Will a rising tide in the offshore oil markets float all the boats? In the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, that remains to be seen.Offshore services, exploration and production are on a roll. In early October, yet another business combination of big drillers was announced. In a sign of optimism, Ensco announced its plan for an all-stock acquisition of Rowan Offshore, worth around $2.4 billion. The new company will be domiciled in the United Kingdom, but will have a large presence in Houston.

A new information paper on assurance of dynamic positioning (DP) system failure mode and effects analysis (FMEAs) seeks to improve the process of identifying all possible consequences and failures of DP systems.Entitled ‘Dynamic Positioning Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Assurance Framework, Risk-based Guidance’, the new information paper has been published by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), a global voluntary association, providing expertise in the safe…