Ulstein delivers fourth PSV to its Blue Ship subsidiary

MAY 13, 2013 — Norway’s Ulstein Group has delivered the fourth in a series of six PX-121 design ax-bowed platform supply vessels from its Ulstein Verft shipyard.

Named Blue Thunder, the vessel was built for Blue Ship Invest, a wholly-owned Ulstein Group company. The PSV is under the technical and commercial management of Atlantic Offshore and will enter a four-month contract with Statoil, with four monthly options.

“We have received good feedback from the operators on her three sister vessels, and we are very pleased that this ship also enters into a contract for work in the North Sea,” says Gunvor Ulstein, CEO of Ulstein Group and Managing Director of Ulstein Shipping, adding that the remaining two vessels will be delivered later this year and all six vessels are for sale.

Blue Thunder has a length of 83.4 m and a beam of 18 m. Maximum speed is approximately 16 knots. She has a load capacity of 4,200 tonnes (dwt), and the 850 sq. m cargo deck can carry a deck load of 2,200 tonnes. In addition to tanks for oil, water and drilling fluids, the vessel has four stainless steel tanks for flammable liquids.

Blue Thunder has modern accommodations for 23 persons. She is equipped with a dynamic positioning system IMO class II and meets the requirements of DNV’s Clean Design notation.

In the North Sea, PSVs of the PX121 design are considered medium-sized. The PX 121 design offers an optimal combination of fuel-efficiency and deadweight. They have the capacities and performance close to the segment for larger PSVs, but at a cost that, says Ulstein, provides excellent value-for-money.

The X-bow hull line design offers efficiency over a wide draft range, which is important for PSVs as they frequently operate with varying loads. Moreover, the X-bow has advantages in terms of motion and propulsion efficiency in heavy seas. Both the hull and choice of propulsion system make the vessels particularly suited for North Sea and North Atlantic conditions.