When Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc. introduced its 370-ft (113-m) HOS Centerline last year, it not only gave the Gulf of Mexico the world’s largest support vessel, but also one designed to transport everything from drilling fluid to crude oil. With a more than 8,000-dwt (7,258-metric ton) capacity, the Centerline brings multi-purpose support vessels to an entirely new dimension. Not only is the triple-certified newbuild designed to transport supplies for drilling and production, it can be “flipped over” in two to three days and work as a crude oil tanker, says Todd M. Hornbeck, chairman, president and CEO of the Covington, Louisiana-based company that also operates the HOS Port in Port Fourchon. What’s more, Hornbeck says the newest entry to the company’s global fleet also is fully certified to haul hazardous wastes.
“It’s the only time in the world this has been done,” he says of his new support vessel/tanker combination. A sister-vessel, the HOS Strongline, was expected to join the Hornbeck fleet in February and is destined to receive the same regulatory pedigree.
Hornbeck says the uniquely engineered vessels can transport more than 30,000 bbl of liquid drilling mud and fuel. The vessels’ 400 kW of available propulsion, power, and DP-2 capability allows it to work safely in sea and weather conditions that keep smaller vessels in port. The design of the vessel reduces fuel consumption in half, he adds.
“These vessels really provide a wider weather window, and they are equipped and designed to safely transfer cargo in high seas,” he says. “They really give us a cradle-to-grave approach to serving our customers, from spud to production.”
The HOS 370-class cargo deck is 240 ft x 58 ft (1,287 sq m) and is complemented by an additional 30 ft x 58 ft (9 x 18 m) of covered deck space, which is unprecedented. The large deck and living quarters for 78 crew members also makes theCenterline functional for subsea construction.
While the commissioning of theCenterline, gives Hornbeck 85 vessels working worldwide, he says the company will continue to focus on the Gulf of Mexico.
“Any place we look at first has to pass the smell test and convince us it is a better place to be than in the Gulf of Mexico.”
