Electromagnetic Geoservices (EMGS) has launched its second purpose-built electromagnetic (EM) survey vessel to better accommodate EM surveying worldwide, though the market is currently somewhat depressed.
The BOA Galatea was built by Bergen Group Fosen and is leased from the owner BOA Offshore on a long-term charter.
This is the second custom-designed 3D EM vessel prepared for EMGS, the other being the BOA Thalassa. Each vessel has the capacity to carry 200 receivers and offers two high-power source systems, thus apparently making these highly productive and efficient vessels.
Roar Bekker, EMGS’s CEO, said: “We have experienced a breakthrough for our 3D surveying services over the last year, and our new vessels are especially designed for this purpose.
“EM data resulting from 3D acquisition provides superior data quality and can be more easily integrated into the exploration and production workflow, and interpreted alongside other subsurface information. We therefore believe that our purpose-built 3D EM vessel fleet will provide an improved basis for industry adoption of EMGS’s technology.”
Features of the new ship include sheltered deck and work spaces; advanced on-board processing system; helicopter deck; hospital ward; conference facilities, and modern workstations with broadband connection.
Surveying efficiency and flexibility is increased by the vessel’s relatively high service speed, large fuel volume, extensive storage capacity, efficient fuel consumption and extended weather window.
That said, EMGS has been experiencing tough trading conditions and has been forced to make economies in order to ride out the current downturn.
On the opposite side of the planet, in Shanghai, China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) has secured a contract to construct a new seismic acquisition vessel, and its Guangzhou Shipbuilding unit has been contracted to build a deepwater survey vessel.
CSSC said both orders were from the China Oilfield Services (COSL) subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and that the seismic vessel to be built by Shanghai Shipyard was to be named COSL720.
The ship to be built by Guangzhou Shipbuilding is a deepwater survey ship to be named COSL708.
COSL720 will be a 12-streamer, dual-detector giant of a diesel-electric geophysical vessel capable of navigating in unrestricted waters. It will be mainly used for collection of deepwater 3D seismic.
COSL708 will also be capable of unrestricted operations. It will be mainly used in geological surveying for ocean engineering projects. Both are due for delivery in H1 2011.
The appearance of tonnage such as this under the Chinese flag will doubtless put pressure of a sector that is largely controlled by Western companies and is yet another sign of China’s aggressive move into offshore hydrocarbons.
Back in Europe, Ulstein Verft has won the contract with GIEK and Sparebank 1 SR-bank for the completion of a large anchor-handling vessel for Solstad.
The ship was started by Norway’s now bankrupt Karmsund Maritime Service yard and is regarded by Ulstein Verft as an important win in terms of filling up production capacity at the yard.