Offshore Support Vessels

Authors: Jan Babicz

Published: 2016, 2nd Edition

220 pages A4, 250 photos and illustrations, 40 pages of large ship plans

The publication contains a systematic review of Offshore Support Vessels. Across the 10 chapters of the book, the author presents a wide variety of the most modern OSV units, starting from Seismic Research Vessels and going through PSV, AHTS, Subsea Support Vessels, Diving Support Vessels, Pipelaying Vessels, Cable Laying and Repair Ves­sels, Subsea Well Intervention Vessels, Emergency Response and Rescue Vessels, as well as Wind Tur­bine Installation and Maintenance Units.

A multitude of carefully selected photos present the ships and the specialist, functional equip­ment they are fitted with. Contrary to many other publications, plans you find here are large and clear, which certainly improves the legibility for the reader The author also managed to obtain and include quite a few general plans of vessels described — a good practice rarely observed in trade press, which usually restrict to publishing written descriptions only.

Additionally, the book contains the descriptions of Drilling Units and Offshore Production and Storage Installations — a valuable supplement being a kind of introduction to the main topic of the publication: support units that service float­ing or fixed installations or are used at the pre-drill stage.

It also contains a Glossary of Jack-up Terms as well as Glossary of Dynamic Positioning Terms and Ab­breviations."

0. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................7
0.0 General...........................................................................................................................................7
0.1 Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships (2008)..................................................................................10
1. SEISMIC SHIPS.............................................................................................................................15
1.0 General.................................................................................................................................................15
1.1 Seismic Ships GEO CASPIAN and GEO CORAL.......................................................................................18
1.2 X-Bow Seismic Research Vessel OCEANIC VEGA ..................................................................................24
1.3 Seismographic Research Ship AMAZON WARRIOR..............................................................................25
1.4 RAMFORM TITAN – class Seismic Vessels ............................................................................................27
2. OFFSHORE STRUCTURES.............................................................................................................29
2.1 Mobile Offshore Drilling Units..............................................................................................................29
2.1.1 Drillship GLOMAR C.R. LUIGS...............................................................................................................31
2.1.2 Ultra-deepwater Drillship DISCOVERER CLEAR LEADER.......................................................................32
2.2 Offshore Production and Storage Installations.....................................................................................33
2.3 Kvitebjørn Gas and Condensate Field...................................................................................................37
3. PLATFORM SUPPLY VESSELS.......................................................................................................39
3.0 General.................................................................................................................................................39
3.1 Platform Supply Vessel EDDA FRAM....................................................................................................42
3.2 Voith-Schneider Propulsor...................................................................................................................46
3.3 Platform Supply Vessel VIKING ENERGY ..............................................................................................47
3.4 Platform Supply, Rescue and Standby Vessel STRIL MERMAID............................................................48
3.5 Hopper and Blow-Pump Bulk Handling System from CARGOTEC........................................................50
3.6 REM HRIST - PSV with multi-application tanks and wet exhaust system.............................................52
3.7 Icebreaker standby PSV VITUS BERING................................................................................................54
3.8 PSV SIEM PRIDE....................................................................................................................................60
4. ANCHOR HANDLING VESSELS ....................................................................................................65
4.0 General.................................................................................................................................................65
4.1 Anchor Handling Equipment................................................................................................................69
4.2 Offshore Mooring Equipment..............................................................................................................74
4.3 AHTS Vessel OLYMPIC OCTOPUS .........................................................................................................80
4.4 Rim Drive Thruster...............................................................................................................................81
4.5 AHTS Vessel BOURBON ORCA..............................................................................................................81
4.6 SIEM PEARL VS491 CD - the AHTS with hybrid propulsion system and SCR.........................................83
5. SUBSEA SUPPORT VESSELS.........................................................................................................89
5.0 General ................................................................................................................................................89
5.1 Active Heave-Compensation Technology (AHC)...................................................................................93
5.2 Utra-Deepwater Lifting System from MacGregor.................................................................................94
5.3 Remote Operated Vehicles...................................................................................................................95
5.4 Multi-Purpose Support Vessel ATLANTIS DWELLER...........................................................................101
5.5 Multi-Purpose Construction Vessel NORMAND INSTALLER ...............................................................106
5.6 Offshore Construction Vessel NORMAND SEVEN...............................................................................113
5.7 Offshore Construction Vessel HOS IRON HORSE................................................................................114
5.8 FAR SAMSON – the Multifunctional Plough/Tug/Supply/Subsea Vessel............................................116
5.9 IMR Vessel SEVEN VIKING - Ship of the Year 2013.............................................................................117
5.10 Subsea Vessel ISLAND PERFOMER .....................................................................................................120
6. DIVING SUPPORT VESSELS........................................................................................................122
6.0 General...............................................................................................................................................122
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SHIP KNOWLEDGE ▪ Jan Babicz ▪ All rights reserved
OFFSHORE SUPPORT VESSELS
4
6.1 Diving System of ADAMS CHALLENGE................................................................................................125
6.2 Specification of the Modular C300 Saturation Diving System............................................................126
6.3 Dive Support Vessel SEVEN ATLANTIC................................................................................................129
7. PIPELAYING VESSELS.................................................................................................................131
7.1 Pipelaying methods............................................................................................................................131
7.2 Pipelaying Equipment........................................................................................................................135
7.3 Pipe Handling Equipment...................................................................................................................139
7.4 Pipelay and Construction vessel DEEP BLUE......................................................................................140
7.5 Reeled Rigid Pipelaying Ship SEVEN OCEANS ....................................................................................142
7.6 Reeled Rigid Pipelaying Ship APACHE II..............................................................................................146
7.7 Flexible Pipelaying Ship SEVEN SEAS..................................................................................................147
7.8 High-capacity Flexible Pipelay and Construction Vessel POLAR ONYX...............................................148
7.9 Pipelay and Construction Vessel CEONA AMAZON............................................................................150
7.10 Pipelay/Heavy Lift vessel SEVEN BOREALIS........................................................................................153
7.11 Pipelay and Construction Vessel LEWEK CONSTELLATION.................................................................155
7.12 Crane vessel OLEG STRASHNOV.........................................................................................................157
8. CABLE LAYING AND REPAIR VESSELS........................................................................................159
8.0 Cable Handling Equipment ................................................................................................................159
8.1 Cable layer NEXUS..............................................................................................................................162
8.2 Cable-lying Ship LEWEK CONNECTOR................................................................................................166
8.3 Cable Layer PIERRE DE FORMAT.........................................................................................................168
8.4 Cable Layer/Subsea Rock Installation Vessel ISAAC NEWTON............................................................168
9. SUBSEA WELL INTERVENTION VESSELS...................................................................................171
9.0 General...............................................................................................................................................171
9.1 Riserless Light Well Intervention (RLWI) System................................................................................172
9.2 Completion Workover Riser System...................................................................................................172
9.3 Riserless Light Well Intervention Vessel ISLAND FRONTIER...............................................................173
8.4 Light Well Intervention Vessel WELL ENHANCER...............................................................................175
9.5 Subsea IMR and ROV Support Vessel EDDA FAUNA ..........................................................................176
9.6 Subsea Riserless Well Intervention Vessel ISLAND WELLSERVER.......................................................183
9.7 Subsea Service Vessel SKANDI AKER..................................................................................................184
10. EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RESCUE VESSELS.......................................................................185
10.0 General...............................................................................................................................................185
10.1 STRIL POSEIDON - the Rapid Response/Rescue and Multipurpose Field Support Vessel..................189
10.2 Rescue and Standby vessel ESVAGT AURORA....................................................................................190
11. WIND TURBINE INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE UNITS...................................................192
11.0 General...............................................................................................................................................192
11.1 Wind Turbine Installation Vessel........................................................................................................195
11.2 BRAVE TERN.......................................................................................................................................198
11.3 Wind Turbine Installation Vessel INNOVATION..................................................................................200
11.4 Wind Turbine Installation Vessel VIDAR.............................................................................................203
11.5 Offshore Maintenance Vessel ESVAGT FROUDE ................................................................................206
11.6 “Walk to Work” Maintenance Support Vessel KROONBORG.............................................................208
12. APPENDICES..............................................................................................................................210
12.1 Glossary of Juck-up Terms..................................................................................................................210
12.2 Dynamic Positioning...........................................................................................................................214
12.3 Glossary of Dynamic Positioning Terms and Abbreviations...............................................................216