Hornbeck orders two more from Eastern Shipbuilding

OCTOBER 15, 2012—Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc., (HOS), which recently signed a contract with Bollinger Shipyards to stretch six Offshore Support Vessels for deepwater operations, has extended its newbuilding plans with orders for two more 302 ft OSVs.

It exercised options to build two 302 ft x 64 ft x 26 ft HOSMAX310 Offshore Support Vessel at Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc., Panama City, FL.  Prior to the latest contract, HOS held a total of 24 options for HOSMAX 310 SVs. Eastern is now under contract to construct 10 of these vessels for HOS.

Back on September 4, HOS had announced its intention to exercise options for two 310 Class and two 320 class OSVs. The 320 class OSVs are being built by VT Halter Marine Inc., Pascagoula, MS.

HOS has now exercised the first four of its 48 options to build additional HOSMAX vessels at an aggregate incremental cost of about $180 million, excluding construction period interest, for vessel deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2014 and first quarter of 2015.  These four new vessels will expand HOS’s newbuild program, which was announced in November 2011, from 16 vessels to a total of 20 U.S.-flagged HOSMAX class DP-2 new generation offshore supply vessels.

HOS has until February 2013 to exercise its new options.

The new vessels being built at Eastern Shipbuilding, designated at HOSMAX by HOS, are being built to the STX SV310 design provided by STX Marine US. The HOSMAX DP-2 vessels will be built to USCG Subchapter L and SOLAS and classed by ABS. All of the HOSMAX vessels under contract are USCG, SOLAS, ABS Classed A1, Offshore Support Vessel Ocean Service, Loadline, AMS, ACCU, Circle E, with additional ABS Class notations UWILD, ENVIRO, DPS-2 and FFV-1.

Each AC diesel-electric-powered vessel will have four CAT 3516C 16-cylinder turbo-charged Tier III diesel generator engines that are rated 1,825 kW at 1,800 rev/min.  Main propulsion power is provided by two GE Energy-supplied Hyundai 2,500 kW, 690VAC motors that will drive two Schottel SRP 2020 FP Z-Drives with nozzles rated at 2,500 kW at 1,025 rev/min each for a total of 6,704 Hp.  Schottel will also supply two STT 4 fixed pitch tunnel thrusters rated at 1,180 kW at 1,170 rev/min, each with direct coupled Hyundai 690VAC electric motors.  GE Energy provides the complete system integrated diesel electric package, including the propulsion and thruster drives, motors, control systems, DP system, switchboards, motor control centers, automation and navigation/ communication electronics.  Each vessel will be capable of a maximum speed of 14 knots, with a cruising speed of 12 knots.

The total below-deck capacities of the HOSMAX310 include 285,645 gals. of diesel fuel, 610,137 gals. of drill/ballast water, 21,509 barrels of liquid mud, 14,347 cu.ft. of dry-bulk mud, 2,212 barrels of methanol and 62,538 gals. of potable water.

STX Marine, with offices in Vancouver, Canada, and Houston, provides the design based on the very successful and proven Eastern Shipbuilding “Tiger Shark Class” series.  Five other offshore supply vessels in this series have been delivered to Eastern’s clients; these vessels are already proven themselves in worldwide operations.  The fully integrated bridge is arranged for increased visibility and features the latest technology in navigation, communication equipment.