Crewboats and processing platforms are the focus of the recent string of newbuilding orders and deliveries of offshore vessels. This time around, new deliveries are concentrated in the Asia-Pacific and the US East Coast.
Malaysia's Centus Marine adds Singapore-built crewboat to fleet
Singaporean builder Strategic Marine recently handed over a new 40-metre fast crewboat to Malaysian offshore operator Centus Marine.
Centus Eight displaces 55 tonnes and is powered by three Caterpillar C32 engines. The vessel is capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots as proven during sea trials last January.
The accommodation space features 16 berths in seven cabins, a large galley and mess area, as well as a walk-in chiller and freezer to cater for a large crew with extended operational endurance. The passenger saloon offers 70 comfortable reclining seats arranged with either single or twin seats in each row to provide additional space and privacy.
The aft deck has a clear area of 120 square metres with deck strength of two tonnes per square metre.
Design work on the vessel was provided by Southerly Designs of Australia.
Taiwan's Hung Hua Construction gets two new crewboats
Damen Shipyards Group has completed the delivery of two new fast aluminium crewboats in a series to Hung Hua Construction in Taiwan. The vessels, named Falcon No. 5 and Falcon No. 6, join two other vessels from the same series and a smaller Damen crewboat in the company's fleet.
The newbuilds will be operated by Dong Fang Offshore (DFO), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hung Hua Construction. The vessels will be used to serve the Taiwanese offshore wind industry.
The crewboats are undergoing final preparations and will be ready to commence work in March.
Falcon No. 5 and Falcon No. 6 each have a length of 26.8 metres, space for 24 passengers/technicians, a deck area of 90 square metres, and a speed of 25 knots.
Crewboat number five joins Atlantic Wind Transfers
Rhode Island-based Atlantic Wind Transfers recently welcomed the fifth crewboat to join its fleet. Named Atlantic Endeavor, the vessel will soon begin operating in support of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Farm (CVOW) owned jointly by Dominion Energy and Siemens Gamesa.
Built by Blount Boats also located in Rhode Island, Atlantic Endeavor is Atlantic Wind Transfers' second crewboat to be designed by UK naval architects Chartwell Marine. The first Chartwell-designed vessel, Atlantic Pioneer, has been operating in support of the Block Island Wind Farm in New Shoreham, Rhode Island, for over five years.
CNOOC kicks off operations on 53,000-tonne semi-submersible production platform
China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), through subsidiary Oil Engineering Company, has begun operations of the recently completed semi-submersible production and storage platform Shenhai 1 ("Deep Sea 1").
The 53,000-tonne platform was towed all the way from Yantai in Shandong province to the Lingshui 17-2 gas field in the South China Sea, a voyage of over 1,600 nautical miles.
CNOOC said that, once the platform is in full operation at the Lingshui field, up to three billion cubic metres of natural gas can be supplied to Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Hainan every year, thus accounting for a quarter of the total natural gas demand of the Dawan District between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao.
Petrobras awards LOI for FPSO acquisition
Petrobras has awarded SBM Offshore a letter of intent (LOI) for a 26-year lease and operate contract for the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré, to be deployed at the Búzios field in the Santos Basin approximately 180 kilometres offshore Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
Under the contract, SBM Offshore is responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and operation of the FPSO. SBM Offshore will design and construct Almirante Tamandaré by incorporating a multi-purpose floater (MPF) hull combined with several standardised topsides modules.
The FPSO will be the largest oil producing unit operating offshore Brazil, with an expected daily processing capacity of 225,000 barrels of oil and 12 million cubic metres of gas. It will also have a water injection capacity of 250,000 barrels per day and a minimum storage capacity of 1.4 million barrels of crude oil.
The FPSO will be spread moored in approximately 2,000 metres water depth.
Delivery of Almirante Tamandaré is expected in the second half of 2024.
