Boskalis acquires ex-VOS supply vessel for Middle East surveys

Dutch engineering company Boskalis, through its subsidiary Horizon Geosciences based in the UAE, has begun operating a recently acquired vessel on geophysical and geotechnical surveys in offshore waters in the Middle East.

Horizon Zenith is the former platform support vessel (PSV) VOS Sugar, which was operated by Netherlands-based Vroon Offshore Services (VOS) until being sold in August 2022.

Boskalis said Horizon Zenith is equipped to conduct a variety of offshore surveys. The vessel also features a DP2 system and a moonpool over which a heave-compensated geotechnical drill rig can be installed. The drill rig will help facilitate cone penetration tests (CPTs) and the collection of geotechnical soil samples.

In addition, there is a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) on board that can be used to conduct visual surveys. The survey vessel itself is also capable of launching small boats to conduct surveys in the shallow areas of less than ten metres deep.