High demand for ships has more than doubled the cost of chartering some boats to transfer oil workers home from offshore platforms, it emerged yesterday.
And rising demand sparked by the recent Super Puma groundings has added to a shortage of vessels available to travel to installations in the North Sea.
Only two supply vessels were available for hire from both the UK and Norway yesterday.
Market analysts have now predicted that the shipping market could stay tight for some time while the Super Puma suspension remains in place.
Yesterday, Westshore shipbrokers spokeswoman Inger-Louise Molver said North Sea oil firms were now turning to Norway for vessel hires for passenger transports.
She said: “The spot market has changed significantly with demand for passenger transport causing the market to tighten once again.
“Despite the disaster happening in UK waters, the demand has spread to the Norwegian tonnage due to greater accommodation capacity being available from the Norwegian vessels.”
The cost of hiring some boats has rocketed in the wake of the disaster.
One Norwegian supply vessel cost £45,000 per day this week compared to £25,000 last month.
Several anchor handling vessels have been chartered by oil firm Total to transport workers from offshore installations.
The Loke Viking ship left Montrose on Monday and reached Lerwick, which is near some of Total’s northern installations, at midday yesterday.
Yesterday the Maritime Coastguard and Agency said discussions were ongoing with individual ship operators in relation to vessels being used for passenger transport.
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