Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK -- The Craig Group has a contract to build its ninth new offshore support vessel and has signed a long-term charter with ChevronTexaco. This brings to nine the number of newbuilds commissioned by the group since 2005 and the total investment to £100 million ($201.2 million).
Craig Group division North Star Shipping has signed a deal with Chevron and Britannia for a newbuild vessel to carry out a long-term contract on the Alba and Britannia fields in the North Sea. The £12-million ($24-million) emergency response and rescue vessel is outfitted with tanker assist capabilities. At 60 m (197 ft) long with a 16-m (52.5-ft) beam, the newbuild will have two daughter craft and one fast rescue craft. The Fire Fighting 1-classed vessel will have a 20-metric-ton (22-ton) towing winch and a bollard pull of 95 metric tons (104.7 tons). Delivery is expected in 2010.
"We are very pleased to have secured this long-term contract," says Callum Bruce, North Star managing director. "This is a multi-role vessel with the ability to provide emergency response and rescue for more than one installation as well as having daughter craft, fire-fighting, and tanker assist capabilities."
In 2005, after building two multi-purpose ROV survey vessels, The Craig Group embarked on a £40-million ($80.5-million) investment program to modernize its North Sea fleet by building seven new emergency response and rescue vessels. To date, five of the new vessels have been delivered. All seven have secured long-term charters.
9/4/2007
