Viking said it has managed to clinch the deal due to its safety management offering, called the Viking Offshore Safety Agreement, which was released only last year.
The offering has already had a number of significant wins because it seems to have uncovered and solved a significant hassle for its offshore customers – the problem of single-source safety equipment servicing.
The newly inked, multi-year servicing contract signed with Norwegian-based oil and gas giant Statoil is for the maintenance of marine safety equipment on board 36 platforms in the North Sea.
Statoil’s portfolio of marine safety equipment for its oil and gas activities is typical of similar-sized offshore players. The company’s rigs have been built at various times and were equipped with the best of what was available at the time of construction. Over the years, many of the products have been updated, but rarely or never as a complete installation upgrade.
Delivery logistics of it all are complicated, too. Unlike safety servicing for passenger or cargo ships, which can be carried out when the vessel is in port, offshore platform owners are often forced to choose between buying or renting a temporary set of liferafts to replace equipment being serviced, or to consider reducing onboard personnel for days while vital safety equipment is being maintained on shore.
As a result of the agreement, Viking now has full responsibility for its customer’s liferafts and chute systems and its offshore service planning department coordinates scheduled servicing, including coordination with supply vessel schedules.
According to Benny Carlsen, Viking’s VP Offshore, the new single-source safety management possibilities for offshore platform owners and operators are a welcome addition to the methods currently being deployed to tighten up operating efficiency. “From an overall safety perspective, this is a real game-changer,” he said.
Viking has also recently released its new Best Practice Guide to help the industry to make better-informed choices when it comes to offshore safety servicing strategies.
Visit Viking Life-Saving Equipment at this year’s Seawork International on stand B123.
