Britoil’s New X-Bow Launched With Airbags [IMAGES and VIDEO]

Britoil Offshore Services Pte Ltd’s first of two Ulstein-designed PX121 platform supply vessels was successfully launched this week from the company’s shipyard in Batam, Indonesia.   The launching comes just over two years after the order was placed in November 2012.

As the photos below show, the ship was launched by rolling it into the water on a cushion of airbags, a process which was executed in an “extremely smooth” manner, according to Ulstein Asia manager Gunnar Haug.

Watch the video here:

Does the ship look taller than normal? That’s because it is.  Britoil added an additional accommodation deck, allowing for a total complement of 50 persons.

Sister vessel Britoil Energy is expected to be launched in February 2015 according to Ulstein.

For Britoil, these two vessels mark their company’s entry into the PSV market and add to their fleet of 40 vessels, mostly consisting of anchor handling tugs and barges.

Launching a ship via rubber inflatables is not necessarily super straightforward however, and things definitely do go wrong. Here are 8 tips to ensure a smooth launching evolution.

All images courtesy Britoil

Updated: January 8, 2015 (Originally published January 7, 2015)

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