Roger White News

As noted in the accompanying article the Gulf of Mexico is in the midst of a drilling malaise. The days when southern shipyards routinely turned out 50-60 supply boats and an equal number of crew/supply vessels is over at least for the time being. The last three years has seen an unprecedented number of OSVs joined the fleets of Tidewater, Hornbeck, Otto Candies, Edison Chouest and other major offshore operators. Leevac Shipyards is a prime example. For the last four years they have built almost exclusively for Hornbeck Offshore Services, producing a number of 200-260 ft. very capable supply boats including four 240-ft. platform supply vessels in 2003. Today their order book includes a huge casino boat and a large 445-ft. by 78-ft. tank barge, but no OSVs. Quality Shipyards, Houma, La.

Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) has long been the leading offshore service vessel company in the Gulf of Mexico with more than 100 vessels offering supply, crew transportation, anchor handling and other services. Last year the company debuted the world's largest OSV, the 348-ft. Laney Chouest, an Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessel and the continuation of their 280-ft. series of supply vessels. By the end of this year, six of the 280-ft. vessels will have been built. Now the Galliano, La.-based company is looking to extend its reach internationally and has formed a new company, Island Offshore Shopping AS, to pursue offshore service business internationally. Island Offshore is a joint venture between Edison Chouest Offshore and Ulstein.

Four years into the new Millennium designers of workboats are incorporating new technologies and greater efficiencies into their designs to produce vessels that can do more work and do it better than designs of just a few years ago. This is very prevalent in the oil patch where today's supply boat designs emphasize more efficient vessels that can carry as much material to the rig or platform as vessels 30-40 ft. longer in years past. "Our new 207 ft. supply vessels can carry over 6,000 barrels of liquid mud," said Robert Socha, marketing manager of Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La. "That is a key feature of these vessels that can work the new deeper gas wells on the shelf and also carry drilling liquids to the growing number of deepwater wells now in service," Socha added.

Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) announced plans to continue its newbuilding program. Having already designed, built, owned and operated almost 70 new generation offshore vessels servicing the deepwater oil and gas industry over the past decade, the company plans for 11 new vessels, with options for an additional 14. Construction highlights feature three additional 280-ft. deepwater supply vessels, with an option for another 10; four 160-ft. fast supply vessels, with an option for another four; three Norwegian-designed and built platform supply vessels; and a 348-ft. survey support ship.

Hurricane Damage is Light Companies Report. With reports from AP, MMS and the Times Picayune. Packing 160 mile an hour winds, Hurricane Ivan stayed on a course that took the powerful storm through the heart of oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) before making landfall just east of Mobile, Ala. Initial reports from the Minerals Management Service, which oversees oil and gas production in the Gulf, indicate that damage is relatively light. Five mobile drilling rigs were adrift, but later found. Four fixed platforms had disappeared and presumably sunk and one was leaning. The MMS also reported three pipeline ruptures; one starting a fire that was contained.

The months of May and June marked two important milestones for the Navy's e-Learning program in the Afloat (NEL Afloat) environment: the highest monthly total completions and 100,000 total course completions, respectively. Averaging 220 course completions per day since the capability was deployed, NEL Afloat surpassed 100,000 total course completions June 5. Secondly, during the month of May, ships reported 22,775 course completions, the highest monthly total of completions reported to date. “The number of total completions proves NEL Afloat has been a success. Maybe this is too superficial a view, but, to me, numbers don't lie," said Integrated Learning Environment Chief Engineer Roger White.

Mud, Mud, Mud. Liquid mud is the name of the game in the design of today's offshore service vessels. The drilling rigs not only want huge volumes of mud, but they want the vessels that serve them to be able to carry several different types of liquid mud. That means two or three separate piping and pumping systems to keep the mud from cross contamination. That also increases demands for automated control and alarm systems, many of which utilize touch screen controls. The rigs also need dry bulk cement, barite and other such products, so dry bulk tanks with 6,000 or so cu. ft. of capacity would be desired. Many rig owners would also like the vessels to carry methanol and…

When it comes to large tugs, none is larger than the Laney Chouest, the world's largest anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel. At 348- x 72- x 31-ft., the Laney Chouest is the king of all tugs in the Gulf of Mexico, or anywhere else for that matter. It was built by the North American Shipbuilding, Larose, La. a part of Edison Chouest Offshore, Galliano, La. who also owns and operates the vessel. The vessel is super efficient since it is designed to do several jobs that formerly needed separate vessels For example, the vessel will set suction piles that anchor floating oil production facilities to the seabed using the largest tow winch every built. That is a huge job for any anchor handler.

There are several large offshore service vessels working in the Gulf of Mexico, but none so big and powerful as the Laney Chouest. At 348 ft. long by 72 ft. wide with a 31-ft. deep hull, the Laney Chouest simply dwarfs anything in the Gulf. Built by Edison Chouest Offshore, Galliano, La. at their North American Shipbuilding facility, the vessel is already at work in the Gulf on a charter for Shell Offshore. "This vessel was designed and built for a very specific mission-to preset mooring systems in 10,000 ft. of water safely and efficiently," said Roger White, senior vice president of Edison Chouest Offshore. "The real market for this vessel will be in the 5,000-10,000 ft.

Although this has been considered an off year in the Gulf of Mexico from rig count and fleet utilization standpoints, it is another record year for major offshore operators expanding their fleets and the shipyards that are building these vessels. Last year, over 50 supply boats were delivered and about an equal number of crew/supply vessels made their way into the fleets of operators. This year looks equally robust as vessels are being ordered in quantities of four, six and even 10. This begs the question as to why offshore vessel operators are order record number of vessels if the business is sluggish? The answer is two fold: Deep water and deep gas. Drilling activity is bound to increase based on these two factors industry leaders believe.