Topaz Extended Drydocking Scheme with ABS

Topaz Energy and Marine, the offshore support vessel company providing marine solutions to the global energy industry, and ABS have, together with the State Maritime Agency under the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ASMA), announced the implementation of a pioneering project enabling a condition-based survey approach.

"This achievement, which resulted from the visionary approach between Topaz, ABS and ASMA, marks a significant step in Topaz’s journey to transform its fleet to a condition-based class model," said a press note from ABS, the provider of classification and technical advisory services to the marine and offshore industries.

The entry of Caspian Voyager, Topaz’s largest modern Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) in the Caspian, into the Extended Dry-Docking (EDD) scheme acts as a bridge for this transition.

The program will extend the vessel’s maximum dry-docking period from 5 to 7.5 years, allowing the vessel to undergo In-Water Surveys (IWS), resulting in higher availability and productivity.

Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman, President and CEO said: “This solution compliments Topaz’s digital efforts in targeting critical areas for repair, prioritising maintenance requirements, and efficient scheduling and using resources to improve availability of their assets, whilst also meeting class and statutory requirements.”

Martin Helweg, Chief Operating Officer, Topaz Energy and Marine, added: “This agreement is a milestone in our journey towards digital transformation. At Topaz, we focus relentlessly on ensuring the quality and safety of our operations. We aim to be a best-in-class, reliable, innovative service provider to our customers and we believe that with our partners, ABS and ASMA, we are making yet another step in the right direction to provide the tools necessary to achieve this.”

Additionally, the Director of the State Maritime Agency, Captain Gudrat Gurbanov, said: "The strong and reliable relationships between the State Maritime Agency and shipowners create the successful  foundation needed to ensure maritime safety and the protection of the environment."

This new partnership between Topaz, ABS, and AMSA is the first step in many towards a condition-based classification regime. This will align Topaz’s maintenance strategy with future condition-based class rules from ABS, moving from a prescriptive survey to condition-based.