Offshore Service Vessels Design Innovation
It could be argued that no other sector of the maritime market has experienced a design innovation revolution quite like the Offshore Service Vessel (OSV) market. Driven by demands to supply people, gear and goods to offshore installations that are increasingly further from shore in deeper waters, today’s OSV is a far cry from those built only a decade ago. Maritime Reporter examines some of the recent innovations in design and function. Deepwater operations are increasingly demanding more personnel offshore, often for longer periods of time, placing a greater emphasis on crew accommodation.
Diesel-Electric Propulsion for Offshore
Long reserved for specialized applications such as icebreakers, diesel electric has enjoyed a rapid growth for marine propulsion in the past decade. Throughout that period, Cummins Marine has been a leader, supplying more than 900 diesel electric packages since delivering its first genset 2003. Early adopters of this flexible propulsion technology included the US firm Rigdon Marine with twenty vessels and France-based Bourbon Offshore with over 100 vessels. In late 2011 Aries Marine built two STX-designed Tiger Shark Class PSVs.