BOURBON announced the signing of a five-year contract with ExxonMobil in Angola, reinforcing a 15-year collaboration between the companies. The agreement covers the charter of new 34-meter vessels to transfer personnel between Soyo and Block 15, located 80 miles offshore.
The new crewboats were developed to meet ExxonMobil’s operational requirements, with increased passenger capacity, improved comfort, greater energy efficiency, and higher technical reliability. They will replace the 32-meter units currently in service.
The vessels are designed to reach cruising speeds of up to 38 knots and reduce fuel consumption by more than 10 to 15 percent compared with the previous generation. Each vessel is equipped with 60 passenger seats, 18 square meters of foredeck space for parcels, a redesigned navigation bridge with improved visibility, and a real-time energy performance monitoring system installed during construction. The crewboats were designed by French naval engineering firm MAURIC and will be delivered to Angola in 2027.
The new vessels will be deployed on Block 15, complementing a fleet of five Surfers units already operating there.
BOURBON is a French company that provides marine services for the offshore energy industry. It operates through subsidiaries such as Bourbon Mobility and Bourbon Subsea Services, focusing on vessel operations, subsea services, and logistics support for offshore oil and gas projects. The company is incorporated as BOURBON Corporation and has global operations across multiple offshore basins.
Exxon Mobil Corporation is a U.S.-based multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and is one of the largest international energy companies. Its activities cover upstream exploration and production, downstream refining and distribution, and chemical manufacturing.
MAURIC is a French naval architecture and marine engineering company based in Marseille. It operates as a subsidiary of the EXAIL Group and provides ship design and engineering services for a wide range of vessels, including offshore support vessels, patrol craft, and passenger ships.