Inspection Repair Maintenance News

The wall climbing robot for steel structures - developed by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, and MOL Ship Management  to support ship inspection and maintenance - has completed a demonstration test and earned the Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) Innovation Endorsement.The Innovation Endorsement is ClassNK's third-party certification program. It certifies and supports initiatives that contribute to the sustainable evolution of maritime and offshore businesses.The robot…

Reach Subsea, a Norwegian subsea services company, has signed a long-term charter contract with Agalas for a modern IMR/Survey vessel to be built in Turkey.According to Reach Subsea, to be hired on three or five-year charter, will has a low emission, smart lifting arrangement and a state of the art equipment package that can be adapted to several market segments, with delivery early 2026.Reach Subsea CEO Jostein Alendal said:"The market for subsea vessels is expected to remain tight for the foreseeable future…

Subsea services company DeepOcean and the Norwegian oil and gas company Aker BP have agreed to "pioneer" the use of an unmanned surface vessel (USV) for subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) and survey work.The first USV is planned to be ready for offshore operations from 2025, when it will go on an eight-year charter agreement with DeepOcean from specialist provider USV AS."Aker BP and DeepOcean already cooperate under a frame agreement for subsea IMR and survey work, and Aker BP has contributed to the development of the USV.

Norwegian offshore support vessel firm DOF said Monday it had won three new service contracts with the Brazilian oil firm Petrobras."The contracts were originated by a competitive bid process won by DOF and include work within our core service lines for Survey and Inspection," DOF said.These contracts represent a continuation of the services handled by DOF on the PIDF123 contracts signed with Petrobras in 2020 and under operation since December of that year.According to DOF, at least three vessels will be deployed to perform flexible pipeline, risers, and subsea equipment inspection in Campos Basin, Santos Basin, and Espírito Santos Basin. More than 3,200 inspections are expected to be executed.DOF did not say which vessel exactly would be deployed for these projects.

Finland-based marine technology company Wärtsilä has signed a five-year vessel maintenance deal with Abu Dhabi-based firm National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC).Wärtsilä said that the agreement covered seven vessels in the NPCC fleet and was designed to maximize operational uptime."It will also provide flexibility in maintenance scheduling, which will ease chartering arrangements, while providing long-term cost predictability," Wärtsilä said.NPCC is an engineering, procurement…

Marine services provider James Fisher Subtech (JF Subtech),  part of James Fisher and Sons plc, has signed a charter agreement with Østensjø Rederi AS for the exclusive use of its inspection, repair, and maintenance (IRM) and construction vessel, Edda Savanah.JF Subtech will start using the vessel in April 2023 for work in the North and Irish Seas on IRM projects for JF Subtech’s customers, utilizing remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and multiple diving methods."The charter comes as the UK’s offshore energy industry faces supply chain crunches…

NOV's Marine and Construction business unit has come up with a "new and flexible" Modular Service and Operations Vessel (MSOV) concept to "optimize offshore wind farm operations and maintenance." NOV says the vessel's features resemble those of a sea otter."The Enhydra series design characteristics resemble the sea otter's (Enhydra) unique and physical behavioral features. The sea otter is the sole marine mammal to use tools, and it uses its streamlined body design to efficiently perform deep dives to the seafloor and adapt its lung capacity to float effectively on the surface…

Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) affiliate C-Innovation, (C-I) on Wednesday announced it has signed a multi-year contract with a major operator in the Gulf of Mexico, securing the C-Constructor to support the New Well Delivery Program and the Holiday for inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) services.The C-Constructor and Holiday are both light construction vessels equipped with 150 MT subsea cranes and two Schilling UHD work class ROVs each. The C-Constructor will support the New…

Russia needs permission for its vessels to conduct investigations into explosions that damaged Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday. He did not specify who should grant the permission, but Nord Stream AG, the operator of the older Nord Stream 1 pipeline, said last week that the owner of a survey vessel it chartered did not have the greenlight from the Norwegian foreign ministry to depart and start assessing ruptures to the pipelines."The whole question is in the access for our vessels…

NYK and MTI Co., Ltd. received approval from ClassNK for a new condition-based maintenance (CBM) method implemented on NYK-owned coal carrier Noshiro Maru. The certified CBM is a method for monitoring the condition of bearings of large marine diesel engines through temperature data, a method that was adopted in the "CBM Guidelines, Second Edition"4 issued by ClassNK in 2021.In addition, the Diesel Engine Main Bearing Condition Monitoring System, which visualizes bearing temperature data that can be obtained through sensors installed on the main bearings and ship operation data…

Yokogawa Electric Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd (MHI) have been selected by the Nippon Foundation, a private, non-profit grant-making organization, to develop an automatic robotic inspection system to predict hazards on offshore oil and gas facilities, and improve the safety of inspection work on offshore platforms."The use of a wide variety of robots to enable unmanned operations and thereby reduce the risk of performing inspections on offshore platforms has long been considered…

N-Sea Group has chartered Braveheart Marine's DP2 vessel Braveheart Spirit multi-purpose offshore vessel.The vessel formerly known as the DPSV Bourbon Gulf Star vessel, built in 2010, was acquired late last year by Braveheart Marine converted, and upgraded to meet the most up-to-date industry standards. N-Sea said it has taken the vessel on a long-term charter.The DP2 vessel has a carrying capacity of around 3,000t DWT, an overall length (LOA) of 73.2 meters, 16.5 meters in width…

U.S. based offshore vessel owner Bordelon Marine said it has signed a one-year firm charter agreement with Helix Robotics Solutions, the U.S. robotics division of Helix Energy Solutions Group, for the Shelia Bordelon, a 260-foot DP2 Jones-Act-compliant ultra-light intervention vessel.The charter commenced in late February 2022, and the vessel is mobilized with two Triton 200-horsepower remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) with high spec survey capabilities operated by Helix.While Helix expects the Shelia Bordelon to primarily support inspection…

Subsea services provider James Fisher has chartered Go Marine Group's multi-purpose service vessel Go Electra for UXO identification services and IMR projects in the North Sea.The vessel will be used by James Fisher group companies James Fisher Renewables (JF Renewables) and James Fisher Subtech (JF Subtech) for the rest of 2022."The long-standing agreement will see quicker response times and tailored health and safety standards implemented, as well as stabilized and reliable day rates for customers.

Subsea services company DeepOcean has chartered Hornbeck Offshore's HOS Warland multi-purpose service vessel supporting the US Gulf of Mexico operations."The HOS Warland will extend DeepOcean’s capabilities in the larger construction end of the market through higher specification equipment installed onboard the vessel. The vessel has been part of DeepOcean’s offering for some time, but will now be secured through a time charter," DeepOcean said.DeepOcean said the firm charter would help it provide even better support to the fast-paced requirements of the IMR market, and to construction and installation projects that are managed, engineered, and executed by DeepOcean’s in-house team.

Offshore accommodation rig provider Floatel International has awarded a contract to Semco Maritime for service work on the semi-submersible accommodation unit Floatel Superior.Semco said that the harsh environment accommodation rig is expected to dock at Hanøytangen in Norway, mid-February. According to information on social media, the rig has already arrived.The Floatel Superior rig was last year deployed offshore Norway, supporting Var Energi's Balder FPU work, and, according…

U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) inspectors and engineers last week carried out an offshore regulatory pre-production inspection of Murphy Oil’s King’s Quay floating production system (FPS) platform. The facility, a semi-submersible FPS, is now currently moored in Green Canyon Block 433 in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, about 175 miles south of New Orleans.“The first offshore follow-up inspection is a very crucial time in the installation of a new production platform in the Gulf,” said BSEE Houma District production supervisor Micah Charpentier.

Norway-based offshore support vessel firm Solstad Offshore has won a charter deal for its construction support vessel Normand Jarstein.The contract is with the subsea services firm DeepOcean AS.The Normand Jarstein vessel (ex-Rem Pioneer) will support DeepOcean`s IMR, light construction, offshore renewables, and recycling projects, Solstad Offshore said. The company, as usual, did not share any financial details. AIS data from VesselsValue shows the Normand Jarstein is en route to the Dunlin area in the UK North Sea.According to Solstad…

Dutch seabed survey services firm Fugro has won a subsea inspection contract with the oil and gas company Neptune Energy at the Cygnus gas field in the UK North Sea.As part of the contract, Fugro will employ its specialized survey technology to inspect the subsea infrastructure, including pipelines and structures, and to undertake survey activities in advance of future drilling campaigns on the Cygnus field. It will use the Atlantis Dweller vessel as part of the operations."Traditionally…

Danish offshore vessel owner Esvagt has informed that its Esvagt Dana vessel has returned back to the Baltic 2 offshore wind farm in Germany to support wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa during maintenance work.For the next three to six months, the ’Esvagt Dana’ will connect its gangway system to the offshore wind turbines in the 288MW Baltic 2 wind farm. The Baltic 2 wind farm is owned by EnBW. It comprises 80 Siemens SWT-3.6-120 turbines installed on 39 monopiles and 41 jackets.Esvagt and Siemens Gamesa have entered into a 95-day agreement with an option of a further three months…

Norwegian offshore vessel operator Golden Energy Offshore Management has informed that two vessels it manages have recently secured contract extensions.The Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair Vessel (IMR) vessel Larissa was awarded several months of firm W2W work for Dutch company Wintershall Noordzee AS. The vessel has already arrived at Den Helder, with mobilization ongoing, and the work will begin on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. The vessel is then firm until September 1, 2021.Also…

U.S.-based seabed survey company Ocean Infinity, is, together with the University of Portsmouth, Airborne Robotics, and Bentley Telecom, working to develop an autonomous offshore wind farm inspection capability utilizing aerial drone swarms deployed from an uncrewed marine robotic vessel.Using 5G and satellite connectivity, the project will see a swarm of drones autonomously inspect wind turbines subsequently removing the need for manual, human inspection, Ocean Infinity, a company that is currently building a fleet of unmanned surface robots - the Armada - said.As part of the project…

Norwegian shipowner GC Rieber Shipping has won a contract extension for its Polar Onyx vessel with DeepOcean. Separately, the company said Monday it had agreed to sell the Polar Queen vessel."GC Rieber Shipping has agreed with DeepOcean BV to extend the charter of the SURF vessel Polar Onyx until the end of May 2021," the company said.The extended period will be in direct continuation of the ongoing charter in Ghana, which started in January 2018.Separately. GC Rieber Shipping said it had agreed to sell its IMR / Walk-to-Work vessel Polar Queen…