The operation carried out on behalf of Hyundai Heavy Industries (working for client Exxon-Mobil Development Company - EMDC) was unique in that Semco were also contracted to perform the positioning and mooring operation when the FPSO arrived off Angola.

All four Semco tugs, together with two sub-contracted vessels, were used in the positioning process, under the command and control of Semco's own positioning team. The Kizomba A field is situated 140km off the Angolan coast in 1,200 metres of water and includes a Surface Wellhead Platform connected by fluid transfer pipelines to the FPSO.

The tugs and tow left Korea on 10 February and arrived on site on the 10 May. All six tugs were used to position the FPSO and assist with the connection of its 15 mooring lines. This work was completed in two weeks, one week shorter than anticipated. Semco are probably the first major ocean towage contractor to undertake a long range towing operation combined with a major marine installation task and regard it as a logical extension of the services they now offer.

Salvanguard and Salviscount were constructed as part of an ongoing fleet replacement programme. The 13,500bhp vessels have a bollard pull of 166 tons, a maximum free running speed of 15 knots and fuel consumption calculated to give an endurance of 40 days while towing at sea. After a short break, both new tugs will go on to tow the Petrobras FPSO P50 from Singapore to Rio de Janeiro for Jurong Shipyard.

The next stage in Semco's replacement programme is the construction of two 5000bhp utility vessels in a Chinese shipyard with delivery scheduled for the third quarter of 2005.