Blue Ship Invest Goes For Four More PSVs From ULSTEIN

Blue Ship Invest orders another four PSVs of the PX121 design from ULSTEIN for delivery in 2013. (Illustration: ULSTEIN)

Ulstein’s investment arm Blue Ship Invest has ordered another four platform supply vessels (PSVs) from Ulstein Verft shipyard following favorable market trends and very good feedback from the first ship in operation. Blue Ship Invest received its first vessel, ‘Blue Fighter’, from Ulstein Verft in January 2012, and is set to receive a second vessel in Q3.

“‘Blue Fighter’ has been working for the oil company Apache for several months, and we have received very good feedback from Remøy Shipping, who manages the vessel on our behalf. The feedback, combined with developments in the PSV market, leads us to contract a series of another four PSVs of the same design,” says CEO Gunvor Ulstein in Ulstein Group.

Gunvor adds that ULSTEIN’s expertise is in design, system solutions and ship construction, and ship management is not a part of the company’s scope. “We will make arrangements for the management of the vessels, but I emphasize that all six vessels are for sale,” she says.

Captain Inge Gjelsten praised ‘Blue Fighter’ on its performance saying, “I have worked on board several newbuilds, but ‘Blue Fighter’ is the best of them by far. A vessel of this type is my preferred choice for the North Sea. ‘Blue Fighter’ is remarkably efficient and comfortable in all weather conditions. Wind and seas have little impact on the vessel’s performance compared to conventional PSVs. We can compare performance directly when steaming on the same tracks to the oil fields: With the same weather conditions and 3-5 metres head sea within 30 degrees of the bow, our ship can easily and comfortably maintain a speed of 12-13 knots, while the other vessels have to reduce their speed to 7-8 knots. The higher speed is a result of the ‘X-BOW® effect’. Also, due to the position of the stabilisation tanks on board, ‘Blue Fighter’ operates extremely well when wind and seas approach from the side.”

The vessels will be built to PX121 design, a medium-sized platform supply vessel with a length of 83.4 meters and a beam of 18 meters and featuring the trademark X-BOW® hull. The design features a cargo deck of 875 square meters and a load capacity of 4200 tonnes (dwt). It has a maximum speed of approximately 15 knots and modern accommodation for 24 persons.

The ship is adapted to the requirements for longer and deeper boreholes and activities further from shore. In addition to tanks for oil, water and drilling fluids, the vessel has four stainless steel tanks for flammable liquids. The vessel is equipped with a dynamic positioning system Class II and meets the requirements of DNV’s Clean Design and ICE-C notations. The ship is also equipped with catalysts for all four main engines.

All four are scheduled for delivery in 2013.

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