Offshore staff
DEFZIJL, the Netherlands – Wagenborg Offshore, Royal Niestern Sander shipyard, and the Mercury Sakhalin/Pola joint venture have agreed to construct a shallow-draught, ice-breaking walk-to-work vessel.
Following delivery in late 2021, Mercury Sakhalin will operate the vessel for oil and gas operations offshore Sakhalin Island, eastern Russia.
According to Wagenborg Offshore, which has experience of shallow waters operations with ice-breakers in the Caspian Sea, the new vessel has been designed and optimized for year-round operations in temperatures ranging from -30 to +35°C (-22 to +95°F).
The combination of a shallow draught of 3.15 m (10.3 ft), a transit draught of 4 m (13 ft) in open waters and a grounded bottom notation allows for year-round deployments.
Use of Wagenborg icebreaking technology in the icebreaking hull and pulling (ice milling) Azimuth thrusters, the vessel will be able to break through ice up to 100 cm (39 in.) thick.
Its motion-compensated gangway is said to be optimized for winter and summer operations, with multiple gangway positions.
The vessel will undertake year-round crew transfers for up to 40 persons from the shallow Nabil Port to offshore platforms near Sakhalin’s east coast. It will also be used for oil spill response services.
06/08/2020
