Gulf Marine Services of Abu Dhabi has embarked on a major expansion of its service jack-ups fleet with a strategic new-build programme comprising four new vessels.
The units will be built at the company’s own yard at Mussafah and, when ready for work, will increase its fleet to 13 units. Their cost has not been disclosed.
This will make GMS the largest builder and operator of self-propelled self-elevating accommodation jack-up barges, not just in the Middle East, but also worldwide.
The four new vessels have been designed to be capable of global operations in the oil, gas and renewable energy sectors.
Construction of the first, GMS Enterprise, is already under way with the project set to bring up to 600 new jobs to Abu Dhabi.
The new S-Class design will bridge the gap between GMS’ existing seven K-Class assets currently operating in the Middle East in water depths to 45m and equipped with 36 and 45 ton crane options, and its two E-Class harsh weather dynamic positioning (DPII) vessels currently working in the North Sea and suitable for worldwide operations in water depths to 65m and with 230-ton and 300-ton cranes.
GMS CEO Duncan Anderson said the investment is being driven by a hefty increase in demand for the company’s jack-ups over the past five years.
“As a result, we are currently building a third E-Class vessel in our yard in Abu Dhabi with this capable of working in even deeper water, to 80m, and with a larger 400-ton crane,” said Anderson.
“We also have an option to build another of these large units.
“In addition to this, we’ve identified a need for a jack-up that falls mid-way between the two classes we already provide, and have produced a modified Gusto design called the S-Class.
“We will start building the first of three new S-Class barges this month, which will be ready for Q2 2015.”
The S-Class will be a smaller and more utilitarian harsh weather barge than the E-Class. It will have 800sq m of deck space, a 150-ton main crane, a 15-ton auxiliary crane, and will accommodate 150-300 people.
The S-Class jack-ups are intended for use in well servicing and for wind farm maintenance in north-west Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia and West Africa.
GMS says the average age of its current fleet is just nine years, compared to a global offshore average of 24.
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