Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK -- Shell has awarded C&M Marine Services Ltd. a contract for the newly converted 14,000-metric ton (15,432 ton) Russian Class AAA ice-breaker Ice Maiden to support the shutdown of Gannet and Shearwater in the North Sea. This contract will make Shell the first operator to have a mono hull flotel in the region. C&M Marines Services expects to complete the conversion in the next five months so that the vessel will be on station in the North Sea toward the end of May 2007.
When fully converted, theIce Maiden will be a multi-purpose support vessel and flotel capable of operating anywhere in the world, C&M Marines Services says.
Formerly the MVPaardeberg, the Ice Maiden is being converted in the Atlantic Marine Shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. When the conversion is complete, the Ice Maiden will be a multi-purpose construction vessel with fixed accommodation for 400 people. She will become the first mono-hull flotel to work in the North Sea.
"When fully-refurbished theIce Maiden will be able to transport and accommodate a workforce of up to 400. Her ice-breaking capabilities and temperature controlled workshops mean that she will be capable of operating in some of the harshest climates, including the Arctic Circle, where it is reported that over 30% of the world's remaining hydrocarbons are located," says group operations director, David Kellas.
1/8/2007
