Bourbon Offshore News

Norwegian partners are planning to build a series of zero-emissions platform supply vessels (PSV) equipped with Amogy's ammonia-to-power technology.Green Ships AS, a consultancy specialized in the design and construction of environmentally friendly vessels, and Bourbon Horizon AS, an international offshore shipping company, have signed an MoU with Amogy for the supply of its technology to two PSVs. The deal includes an option for a third vessel.Bourbon Horizon, formerly Bourbon Offshore Norway, will be the commercial and technical manager of the new vessels.

Bourbon entered into a strategic partnership with IWS Fleet AS, the vessel owning company of Integrated Wind Solutions ASA  to address the French commissioning and maintenance market of offshore wind farms. This agreement will allow Bourbon to market and operate the IWS’s “Skywalker class” windfarm specialized support walk-to-work vessels in France. The ship management will be performed by the French affiliate Bourbon Offshore Surf, with a strong footprint on French Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, as the group currently employs about 500 French seafarers with relevant offshore experience.IWS currently has four vessels under construction, the two first IWS vessels will be delivered in Q2/Q3 2023 and the remaining two in the first half of 2024.

Offshore vessel operator and installation services firm Bourbon Subsea Services has recently completed the installation of the 3.6 MW TetraSpar floating wind turbine prototype at a test site in Norway.The TetraSpar Demo project is developed by Stiesdal Offshore Technology, TEPCO Renewable Power, Shell, and RWE and has been described as the world’s first full-scale demonstration of an industrialized offshore foundation.The TetraSpar foundation concept is the modular “building block” arrangement: each foundation is assembled from tubular steel modules…

Offshore vessel operator Bourbon Offshore Surf has won a tender for the supply and management of the crew and nautical activities of the deep-sea vessels owned by the French Department of Underwater Archaeological Research (DRASSM) Alfred Merlin and André Malraux."With the arrival in its fleet in 2021 of the Alfred Merlin, a 46-meter vessel that will carry out overseas missions, the DRASSM wanted to strengthen its presence by relying on a reputed professional of specialized vessels management…

Norwegian maritime equipment and technology giant Kongsberg Maritime has received Approval in Principle from Bureau Veritas for its Dynamic Positioning Digital Survey (DPDS) application.Kongsberg says that its DPDS application digitizes all the data derived from the DP Annual tests, carried out in accordance with IMO MSC Circ 1580 guidelines and IMCA M 190, to verify the performance and redundancy of the vessel-specific DP system. This encompasses the complete installation necessary for dynamically positioning a vessel…

The offshore supply vessel (OSV) industry has emerged from its 2017 trough, thanks in large part to a slight shrinkage of the active fleet, a string of debt restructurings, improved cost management, and an uptick in drilling activity in a few regions. The industry is far from healthy, though, and the climb back to financial well-being will likely be long and unsteady. Not every operator will survive. And even though we’ve seen some improvement from 2017 levels, leverage ratios remain sky-high, the supply of vessels far outstrips demand, and—most crucially—the price of oil remains volatile.

US Offshore Support Vessel Analysis 2018 and 2019. The US GOM Offshore Support Vessel (OSV) market is suffering, utilization remains poor, and many owners are still squeezed financially. However, a poor market forces people to adapt and for those willing to take risks, the upside can be extremely large.US Owners 2018 vs. 2019: Within the US GOM, 2018 saw a period of strategic thinking and tactical business decisions. Tidewater Marine completed their merger with GulfMark Offshore to create the world’s largest OSV player.

The construction support vessel (CSV) Southern Ocean, owned by a joint venture between Bourbon Offshore Norway and Oceanteam, has bagged two charters from an undisclosed client on offshore projects located off the East Coast of India.The scope of the contract is a partial continuation of the scope that was initiated in 2018.Works on the first short term contract have commenced this month whereas the second, longer term contract is expected to commence in December 2019 and works are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2020 with optional extension to take the contract well into 2020.Mathieu Feisthauer, Fleet and Chartering Manager of Oceanteam…

As the North American offshore wind model evolves, it is clear that fit-for-purpose, Jones Act compliant and Arctic ready tonnage will need to be part of the equation. If so, we’ve got that box checked, with a little help from Europe.As of September 2018, the Walney Extension off the United Kingdom is the largest offshore wind farm in the world at 659 megawatts. There are at least 70 major wind farms, each with hundreds of wind turbines, each generating as much as 10 megawatts in offshore England, the North Sea, Russia and China.

Dutch offshore support vessel operator Glomar Offshore announced Thursday it has purchased a pair of support vessels from French owner Bourbon Offshore.The 2008-built Bourbon Arethuse and 2009-built Bourbon Amilcar will be renamed Glomar Worker and Glomar Supporter, respectively, and will be dedicated to subsea and survey projects for oil and gas and renewables clients in the North Sea and Baltic, Glomar said.The vessels will receive modifications and upgrades at Glomar's Globaltic Marine yard in Gdynia, Poland.Glomar also noted that its other recently acquired vessels, Minkar, Situla and Shaula (ex Halul 10, 11 and 12, all 2002-built), are being upgraded and are expected to be ready for work by the third quarter of 2019.

More than 440 tons of heavy fuel oil was extracted from the tanks of the sunken general cargo vessel Thorco Cloud. The wreck lies in two sections 1,730 meters apart and 70 meters down in the middle of the eastbound traffic lane of the Singapore Strait following a collision in December 2015. The heavy oil in the fuel tanks and in trapped compartments was seen as a major pollution hazard. Both the bow and stern sections contained fuel tanks that required emptying, so the Thorco Cloud’s owner, Marship GmbH, supported by the P&I insurance company Standard Club, contracted Jaya Salvage Indonesia early last year. Bumi Subsea provided remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and the dynamically positioned Surf Allamanda, owned by Bourbon Offshore.

French offshore vessel provider Bourbon Offshore recorded a bigger loss of EUR 576.3 million for 2017 in 2017 when compared to EUR 279.6 million for 2016 dragged down by lower revenues and vessel impairments amid a third year of cyclical downturn. "Bourbon s teams carried off a solid operating performance in 2017 thanks to their focus on security, cost control initiatives and the fleet's technical reliability. Performance in terms of free cash flow generation is equally sound in the crisis environment that has faced all oil & gas industry players for the past three years," said Gaël Bodénès, Chief Executive Officer of Bourbon Corporation.

The construction support vessel Southern Ocean, owned by a joint venture between Bourbon Offshore Norway and Oceanteam, has secured a new contract in the APAC region. "CSV Southern Ocean secures a new contract and will start operations by mid of February 2018 for a firm period of 30 days and options to extend with 60 days. The Construction Support Vessel has been assigned to multiple smaller projects within the APAC region," said a statement. The contract is the result of the initiated worldwide re-marketing and re-deployment initiative for the CSV Southern Ocean complete with already mobilised survey and multiple ROV spread. The CSV Southern Ocean is a DP2 Construction Support vessel (dynamic positioning class 2) with large cranes (1 x 250 and 1 x 100 tonnes fully heave compensated)…

In the immortal words of one Kermit the Frog, “it’s not easy being green.” Nor inexpensive. Offshore ship owners managing the demand “fallout” of the past year and navigating myriad environmental strictures say their leap of faith toward greener fuels has taken its toll. The idealism of a decade ago has eroded, they say, in the face of lost offshore business, especially long-term contracts. Oil company clients that once insisted on high-spec, “green” vessels haven’t renewed contracts for those ships.

While new designs often grab headlines, mature designs that have enjoyed success are perhaps better indicators of true progress in marine technology. When the Ultstein X-Bow made its debut 10 years ago, some scoffed at the unusual design characteristics. They laugh no more, as the Ultstein X-Bow hull line design turns 10. Now in its tenth year, the 100th X-BOW shipbuilding contract was signed, and the X-BOW’s derivative, the X-STERN – a similar solution for the ship’s stern – has been contracted on its first two vessels.

When times are tough, it is still possible to nurture and grow good ideas, says Ulstein, an provider of ship design, shipbuilding and system solutions for ships. That’s the story behind the ULSTEIN X-BOW hull line design, which upon its introduction 10 years ago turned the image of the ship’s bow upside down. Now in its 10th year, the 100th X-BOW shipbuilding contract was signed, and the X-BOW’s derivative, the X-STERN – a similar solution for the ship’s stern – has been contracted on its first two vessels.

“You see that ship. That’s our ship,” says Karsten Saevik, as he directs our attention to the virtual image of one of his platform supply vessels on a computer screen in a darkened room. Saevik is one of four shipping bosses whose crew skills needs will be met at the new Faasnavaag Ocean Academy. We arrive five days from its opening, and with the drywall still drying, we look move closer to a giant white sphere indicating a bridge simulator in the wide-open reception. “Definitely, this is our human capital development center for marine skills,” said Saevik.

With the latest contract for two offshore wind service vessels for Bernhard Schulte/WINDEA Offshore, ULSTEIN has achieved 100 sales of the X-BOW hull line design. The milestone was achieved 10 years after the launch of the X-BOW design in 2005. Following the sales to Bourbon Offshore Norway of the second and third ship designs featuring X-BOW, Group CEO Gunvor Ulstein was asked by the media whether the hull design was now a success. "Come back when we've sold 100," Gunvor said in reply. "We can now see that X-BOW has been a huge success in the more recent history of ULSTEIN.

The operation of an oil field involves moving rigs or jackups in a maneuver referred to as a rig move. These complex operations require experience and the coordination of all stakeholders. Explanation by Pål-André Malø, superintendent for new construction, and former AHTS captain (Anchor Handling Tugs Supply) with Bourbon Offshore Norway. "Generally speaking, this operation mobilizes between 3 and 4 vessels tasked with pulling the anchors of the rig to position it. Most of the time, there are 8 anchors - sometimes 10 or 12 - weighing 6 to 20 tons each," Pål-André explains.

Veteran Norwegian designer and builder Ulstein will, for the first time, build one of its signature X-Bow hull designs in the U.S., Maritime Reporter has learned. Edison Chouest Offshore’s LaShip shipyard in Louisiana is keen to build, and has found a Norwegian partner to share the risk. Judging by ever-evolving Ulstein business models and Jones Act strictures, Ulstein’s U.S. foray could lead to series production of the SX 165 offshore construction vessel. The U.S.-built combined light well-intervention and inspection, maintenance and repair vessel will be the second of the type.

Bourbon plans to enter the growing Arctic Offshore market in 2016 with a new Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessel built by the Vard shipyard. This AHTS (Anchor Handling Tug Supply) was specially designed for operations in polar waters, and more specifically in arctic zones, where we know that there is a huge potential for development, and the new vessel is the signal that the company is adjusting its range of services to meet the requirements of clients and the changing offshore market.

Oceanteam Shipping ASA says that Oceaneering International, Inc. has exercised both one year options on the CSV 'Bourbon Oceanteam 101' up to February 2017. The vessel will continue its field support services for work offshore Angola on blocks 18 and 31. Upon delivery in December 2007, this DP2 Construction Support Vessel has been operating as a field support vessel with BP Angola for the company's Greater Plutonium Field development (in Block 18). The first of the standard design North Ocean 100 series is jointly owned by Oceanteam Shipping and Bourbon Offshore Norway. The ship is 125 meters at length with a 27 meter beam. Its excellent seafaring capabilities…

Bourbon published its first half results for 2014, recording adjusted revenues up 8.9% at constant rates, reflecting an increase in the size of the fleet, despite a lower utilization rate (adjusted revenues increased 1.5% at current rates). Adjusted EBITDAR as a percentage of adjusted revenues, remained at a stable level of 34.4% following good cost control over the period, while adjusted EBIT decreased more than 50% largely due to €41.8 million increase in bareboat charter costs year on year, not fully offset by capital gains.