Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) has signed charter agreements with PF Thor for four new seismic support vessels to assist its seismic operations worldwide.
The vessels are to be built at Besiktas, Turkey, because the price tag will be a lot less than if they were to be built in northern Europe.
They will be owned and operated by PF Thor and chartered by PGS on 10-year time charter contracts, with options for additional extension periods.
The new vessels will provide support for PGS’ fleet of seismic vessels during operation, covering offshore bunkering, crew change assistance, supply of provision and spare parts, as well as support during in-sea maintenance of the seismic equipment.
They have been purpose-designed for seismic support services in order to improve efficiency at sea for PGS’s fleet of seismic vessels.
They will offer a wide range of capabilities, including ice class 1A, passenger capacity for transporting a full seismic crew, extra workboat, towing capability, and ability to carry and transfer fuel oil at sea.
Equipped with modern, efficient propulsion systems they will be performing their tasks with minimal fuel consumption, enabling fuel cost savings up to 60% from the vessels currently used by PGS.
Deliveries will begin in Q3 2014 and the new units will replace older, now inefficient, capacity as well as adding necessary support for the new Ramform Titan class vessels, the first of which is to be delivered in 2013.
Jon Erik Reinhardsen, CEO at PGS, said, “The new line of support vessels will ensure a safer and more efficient level of support to our seismic fleet.
“Our long standing cooperation with PF Thor makes us comfortable that the vessels will be operated in the most efficient manner, ensuring high standards in HSE and marine management.
“Their track record with our operations is first class, and their commitment to the seismic support business makes them a valuable partner for our seismic operations.”
On the contracts front, PGS has signed a 10-year agreement with the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia Limited (NAMCOR), with support of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, for the acquisition of both 2D and 3D MultiClient seismic offshore Namibia.
PGS is scheduled to begin its operations with the acquisition of a large 2D regional survey early next year over the open deep-water blocks.
These blocks will form the basis of a future licensing round and the PGS survey will be the primary technical dataset for that round.
PGS intends to deploy the latest GeoStreamer dual sensor technology on this survey, which runs the entire length of the Namibian offshore, from the Angolan border in the north to the South African border in the south.
The agreement also provides PGS with the rights to acquire 3D multi-client surveys.