Statoil contracts ERRV for Mariner field

Mariner Responder

MARCH 9, 2015 — Statoil (U.K.) Limited has awarded a contract to Sentinel Marine, Aberdeen, Scotland, to provide a new multi role Emergency Response & Rescue Vessel (ERRV) to support operations on the Mariner field on the U.K. Continental Shelf .

The new 65 m ship, to be named Mariner Sentinel, will be custom built for Statoil and provide emergency cover, firefighting, oil spill response preparedness and tanker assist capabilities for the Mariner field.

“We are very pleased to have been awarded this contract to support the Mariner field ,we have recently taken delivery of two multirole ERRVs and have a further six similar vessels building” said Rory Deans, Sentinel Marine’s founder and CEO. “This award validates Sentinel Marine’s belief in providing the most modern and advanced vessel’s for operation in the U.K. ERRV market.”

Last month saw China’s Cosco Dalian lay the keel for two of Sentinel’s current ERRV series. Those vessels are 62 m long and designed by Focal Marine and Offshore.

The ERRV contract with Sentinel Marine has a fixed duration of five years, commencing in July 2016, and also includes five one-year extension options. Mariner Sentinel is expected to be delivered early in 2017. From the summer of 2016 and until the new vessel is ready for operation, Sentinel Marine will provide another ERRV for emergency cover on Mariner.

“This is an important contract award in our preparations for safe and efficient operations on Mariner,” says Gunnar Breivik, managing director of Statoil Production U.K. “The emergency and rescue vessel plays a key role in our safety and emergency preparedness plan. Mariner Sentinel will carry mechanical oil spill response equipment and contribute to a strengthening of the emergency preparedness capacity also on a regional basis.”

The Mariner field, located approximately 150 kilometers east of the Shetland Isles, is currently under development, with production start-up planned for 2017. Hook-up and commissioning is expected to start in 2016.

Statoil is the operator of the Mariner field with 65.11% equity. Co-venturers are JX Nippon Exploration and Production (U.K.) Limited (28.89%) and Dyas Mariner Ltd. (6%).