Bibby Marine Services has signed a contract with Total E&P Nederland to charter the DAMEN designed and built Bibby WaveMaster 1 – a Service Operations Vessel (SOV) with walk to work capabilities. Total E&P Nederland will charter the vessel from April to October 2018, with options to extend up to 3 years, DAMEN said in a press release.
Stephen Blaikie, CEO Bibby Marine Services, said, “Total E&P Nederland made a conscious decision to explore and utilise the innovation and efficiencies developed for the offshore wind market and use them in the oil & gas market. The comfort, logistics flows and ‘access certainty’ of Bibby WaveMaster 1 were key influencers in their decision. A team from Total E&P Nederland inspected the vessel at the shipyard and were impressed by the quality and features in addition to the well thought out workflows.”
Peter Robert, Director Business Development and Market Intelligence at Damen, said, “We congratulate Bibby Marine Service and Total E&P Nederland on the charter of the Bibby WaveMaster 1. In the development of this vessel – the first of its kind – DAMEN and Bibby have brought together substantial knowledge. This has resulted in some impressive innovation and the versatility to apply it, safely and comfortably, across the whole spectrum of offshore energy industries. We wish both Bibby and Total E&P Nederland every success.”
Total E&P Nederland will use the Bibby WaveMaster 1 to replace jack ups and helicopters and to provide access to gas platforms in the southern North Sea. The vessel will provide accommodation for up to 90 pax including crew.